The countdown to the start of the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships continues. From June 7 to June 12, the Foro Italico in Rome will be at the center of the international scene, offering fans the chance to see all the best athletes on the continent live.
With 150 days to go, we relive with emotion one of the memorable feats of Pietro Mennea, when, 50 years ago, he consolidated his extraordinary talent with two silver medals, in the 100 flat and in the 4X100, and with a gold medal by dominating the final of the 200 meters flat, in the very ‘last edition of the European Championships hosted by Italy fifty years ago, also in Rome.
It was Sept. 6, 1974, backed by the home crowd, the Apulian sprinter, then 23, won gold with a time of 20″60, ahead of Germany’s Manfred Ommer (West Germany) and Hans-Jurgen Bombach (East Germany).
Three days earlier Mennea had won the silver medal in the men’s 100 meters, finishing the final behind Valeriy Borzov (Soviet Union); on Sept. 8, 1974, the Italian champion was instrumental in the second place achieved by the Italian team in the 4×100 relay, behind France.
Mennea still holds the European 200-meter record (19″72) and is internationally recognized as one of the best sprinters ever. To honor his memory, the Stadio dei Marmi, the iconic sports facility that during the upcoming Rome 2024 European Athletics Championships will be the main training and warm-up field for athletes in preparation for competitions at the Olympic Stadium, was named after him.