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  Mennea Day: 12th September


Pietro Mennea

Mennea Day


Munich, Germany The Italian sprinter Pietro Mennea poses in front of the photographers with his shoes in his hands. At the Olympics games he won a bronze medal in the 200 metres race

Mennea Day is celebrated on Tuesday 12 September. It is an Italian anniversary that is not formalized but is celebrated throughout Italy and is very important for sport and for young people, as well as for Italian sporting history. It was on 12 September 1979 when Pietro Mennea in Mexico City set the world record for 200 meters , bringing it to 19 seconds and 72 cents. Olympic champion of the 200 flat meters in Moscow 1980, he was the world record holder of the specialty from 1979 to 1996 with a time of 19 "72, which still constitutes the European record. He also held, from 1979 to 2018, the Italian record of 100 flat meters with a time of 10 "01 (European record up to 1984). Nicknamed La Freccia del Sud, it is the only one of the two hundred meters in history that has qualified for four consecutive Olympic finals (from 1972 to 1984).

Celebrations in Italian cities

Mennea Day is celebrated in many Italian cities, often to make the Italian Champion known to the boys of the Italian sports federations. Many of these events are organized by the FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) for their respective regions.

Celebrations in barletta

Obviously the most important celebrations will be held in Barletta, the hometown of the Italian Olympic champion
This year Mennea Day will be celebrated by inaugurating the reopening (after 7 years of closure) of the Cosimo Puttilli sports facility which was so loved by the Italian champion because he set the record in the 200 meters in August 1980, signing 19.96 which remains the his best time at sea level.