Ugo Sansonetti (10 January 1919 – 14 August 2019), nicknamed Matusalesto (a pun based on the name of Matusalem and the Italian ''lesto'', "quick"), was an Italian writer and

masters athlete Masters Athletics managed by World Masters Athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of 35 years of age and over organized by World Masters Athletics. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. ...

Biography

He is the current world record holder in the M85

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

and M90

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

. He is famous throughout Italy for his appearance as a spry athlete in a

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

and a

Bertolli Bertolli is a brand of Italian food products produced by multiple companies around the world with the trademark owned by Japanese multinational Mizkan Holdings. Originating as a brand of extra virgin olive oil, in which it was the global marke ...

advertisement. Born in

Rome, Italy Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, he was the son of Admiral Luigi Sansonetti. From 2011 he lived in Rome, and has ten children, 25 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He has a law degree and was a pioneer cavalry officer.A 85 ANNI VOLERÀ IN ASSENZA DI GRAVITÀ CON SPACELAND
(Nota: l'articolo è del 2004, il volo è stato poi effettuato l'anno successivo, all'età di 86 anni, non 85) He was an honorary citizen of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, where he led a company doing agricultural colonization in the fifties. Among his writings is curating ''Emigranti alla conquista della foresta'' (translated=''Migrants to the conquest of the forest''), which promotes the colonization of Costa Rica. In the seventies he directed and helped to lift a European frozen foods manufacturer that would later become known as Findus.Felice Alborghetti,
Tutti i record di Matusalesto
', Stadium on line N.1/2, Centro Sportivo Italiano, gennaio/febbraio 2009. In 1991 he was appointed Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

and in 2006 received the Star of Merit for his work.

First octogenarian in zero gravity

In 2005, at the age of 86 years, he participated in project SpaceLand Sansonetti, a flight in a weightless environment on a Boeing 727 -200. Starting from

Bordeaux, France Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, it was the first parabolic flight to accommodate ordinary citizens, and the first to bring on board an octogenarian.''Elisir di lunga vita. Per lui è il latte fresco'', in '' Altroconsumo N.225'', Milano, Altroconsumo Edizioni, aprile 2009, p.51'Zero-G', in aereo a gravita' zero

Masters athletics

As an athlete, he claimed to have won 70 medals, 42 of them gold. In addition to the outdoor world records, he held several indoor world records in the M90 60 metres, M85 and M90 200 metres and M90 400 metres. He won several

World Masters Athletics Championships The World Masters Athletics Championships are the biennial championships for masters athletics events held under the auspices of World Masters Athletics, formerly called the World Association of Veteran Athletes, for athletes 35 years of age or ...

Works

Author: *''Coto Brus, là dove gli alberi sorreggevano il cielo'' (Coto Brus, where the trees holding up the sky), Scorpio, 2000. *''Non fermarsi mai! Per conservare la giovinezza fino agli 80 anni e oltre'' (Never stop! To preserve his youth up to 80 years and older), Sports Society Press, 2003. *''SMS. Messaggi alle nuove generazioni'' (SMS. Message to new generations), Florence, Florence MEF Books The Author, 2008. Curator: Introducing: Herzel G. Weizmann, ''Emigranti alla conquista della foresta'' (Migrants to the conquest of the forest). Promoted Italian colonization in Costa Rica: San Vito de Java, Franco Angeli, 1985.

References

External links

Ugo Sansonetti
profile at Masters Athletics {{DEFAULTSORT:Sansonetti, Ugo 1919 births 2019 deaths Italian masters athletes Italian men centenarians Expatriates in Costa Rica