Top Italian sport champions

Federica Pellegrini (Photo from <a href=

Alberto Tomba is the best skier Italy has ever had with an astonishing winning record of three gold and two silver Olympic medals, and two Gold and two Bronze World Championship medals. However, his best achievements came from from the World Cup, where Tomba scored 50 victories and a total of nine season world cups, including one Overall. Tomba brought interest back to skiing and TV ratings went very high every time he raced. That interest started to decline after his retirement.

Tazio Nuvolari

Nuvolari has not won as much as others, but his name became a legend, especially considering the security standards of motor racing during his racing, the 1930s and 40s. His style was reckless and he used to race both cars and motorbikes. Famous is the race when he won with broken bones, and asked to be tied to the bike, to prevent himself from falling. Another time during a night race, he drove with the lights off to overtake his competitors. These were styles and strategies that today would be unthinkable and probably illegal, but that definitely made Nuvolari the best Italian driver ever.

Fausto Coppi

Cycling is in Italy's DNA, at both professional and amateur levels, and many champions have delivered great performances and spectacular victories; however, Fausto Coppi deserves the number one spot. He won all the possible races: the classics -- the tour de France, the Giro of Italy, the world championship -- and set the hour record. He was simply extraordinary against cyclists that were also very well trained. He died in 1960 at 40 after catching malaria in an African trip. A great loss that made him a legend.

Roberto Baggio

Roberto Baggio

There is almost nothing more important than soccer in Italy, and many players have touched the heart of the fans, but it is fair to say that Roberto Baggio is the one that more than others truly caught the spirit of this sport. He played for the best teams in Italy yet never long enough to become a symbol, embracing all the Italian fans together; indeed the national team was his favorite jersey, but sadly he never won anything with it, and ironically missed the final penalty kick in the 1994 World Cup final, after leading the team there, practically alone.

Adriano Panatta

Extravagant, strong, and very talented, Panatta represented Italian tennis for a decade and many teenagers dreamed of being like him. He won the French Open in 1976 and later that year won the Italian Open. That same year he helped Italy win its first title at the Davis Cup, and he reached his career-high singles ranking of World No. 4 that year. Panatta is the only player to have defeated Björn Borg at the French Open. He was a fabulous player, and his style, his long hair, and the media made him a sport phenomenon. What also helped his image was that in the 1970s tennis was huge.

Primo Carnera

He is the only Italian ever able to become a heavyweight boxing word champion. He fought in the 1930s and clinched the championship in 1933, defending it several times. He was very tall and had his best fights in New York at Madison Square Garden, far from his Italy where he returned after the title. He was a good man and a great example of sportsmanship, and although his body was strong, his  world champion life didn't last very long. Alas, neither did his money.

Federica Pellegrini "war machine" Gold Medal 200 freestyle - Budapest 2010 European Swimming.

Federica Pellegrini

She is a force in swimming today. She brought Italian swimming to the next level, to a winning dimension that was never seen before with the exception of sporadic results from Novella Calligaris. Federica won several medals between Olympic, World, and European championships but the highlights are her three World and three European records. She is the first Italian woman to win an Olympic medal for swimming, and is the only Italian swimmer to have set world records in more than one event. She is amazingly talented and always strives for victory. Though she sometimes suffers panic attacks, she has been able to manage them.

Yuri Chechi

"Mr. Rings" dominated the gymnastic scenario throughout the 1990s, scoring Gold and Bronze Olympic medals, but also five world championships, defeating every single opponent and making clear to the world that he is number one. His style and his image helped Italian gymnastics and brought many children to the gyms. He always gave a  positive picture of sports and was always against major spotlights and the commercial abuse of the games.

Golden Gala 1980 - 200 metri / Pietro Mennea.

Pietro Mennea

He was the faster sprinter in Italian history and won a gold medal at Olympic games, but his greatest achievement was the world record on the 200m,  19"72 , established in 1979. That record stood for over 17 years, becoming one of the longest records in track & field history, and in sports in general.

Sara Simeoni

One time Olympic Champion in 1980 and twice Silver medal winner, she is the greatest champion in Italian High Jump. Her 1978 world record of 2.01 m, which lasted as an Italian record for 29 years and was recently beat by Antonietta Di Martino, who jumped 2.02 m.