Wikipedia

Sara Simeoni

Sara Simeoni (born 19 April 1953) is an Italian former high jumper, who won a gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics and twice set a world record in the women's high jump.

Sara Simeoni
Sara Simeoni in 1973
Personal information
Born (1953-04-19) 19 April 1953 (age 71)
Rivoli Veronese, Italy
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
CountryItaly Italy
SportAthletics
EventHigh jump
ClubCS Fiat Torino, Lib. Ligabò Verona, Fiat Iveco, Francesco Francia Bologna[1]
Coached byErminio Azzaro
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals1976, 1980, 1984
Regional finals1974, 1978, 1982
Personal best2.01 m (1978)[1]
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 2 0
European Championships 1 0 2
European Indoor Championships 4 0 0
Universiade 2 1 2
Mediterranean Games 2 0 0
World Cup 0 2 0
European Cup 0 1 0
Total 10 6 4
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1980 Moscow High Jump
Silver medal – second place 1976 Montreal High Jump
Silver medal – second place 1984 Los Angeles High Jump
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1978 n Prague High jump
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Rome High jump
Bronze medal – third place 1982 Athens High jump
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1977 San Sebastian High jump
Gold medal – first place 1978 Milan High jump
Gold medal – first place 1980 Sindelfingen High jump
Gold medal – first place 1981 Grenoble High jump
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1977 Sofia High jump
Gold medal – first place 1981 Bucharest High jump
Silver medal – second place 1975 Rome High jump
Bronze medal – third place 1973 Moscow High jump
Bronze medal – third place 1979 Mexico City High jump
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1975 Algiers High jump
Gold medal – first place 1979 Split High jump
World Cup
Silver medal – second place 1977 Düsseldorf High jump
Silver medal – second place 1979 Montreal High jump
European Cup – Final A
Silver medal – second place 1979 Turin High jump
European Cup – Final B
Gold medal – first place 1977 Helsinki High jump
Gold medal – first place 1981 Zagreb High jump

Biography

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Sara Simeoni was born in Rivoli Veronese, in the province of Verona. She soon took up athletics, specialising in the high jump. Her first international result was at the 1971 European Championships in Helsinki, where she ended 9th with a 178 cm jump. Her first international success was at the 1976 in Montreal, where she won a silver medal, with a personal best of 1.91 m, and was beaten only by Rosemarie Ackermann's 1.93 m leap.

In August 1978, she set the new world record with 2.01 m in Brescia (this jump stood as a national record until Antonietta Di Martino jumped 2.02 in June 2007). Later in the same month she equalled it at Prague while winning the European title. In 1980, Simeoni set a new Olympic record of 1.97 m, when winning gold in Moscow.[1] Simeoni was the only woman athlete not from a Communist country able to win an athletics gold medal in Moscow.

Simeoni struggled to regain her form in the following years, with a series of tendon injuries. At 1984 Olympics, Simeoni carried the Italian flag at the opening ceremony in Los Angeles. Here, she cemented her reputation as one of the greatest female high jumpers ever, in a thrilling duel with West German Ulrike Meyfarth. Simeoni managed to reach the 2 meters measure for the first time since 1978. Meyfarth, however, replied with a notable 2.02 m jump, and Simeoni won a silver medal.

Simeoni's other titles include two bronze medals at the European Championships and 25 national titles. Her jump of 2.01 m was the Italian record for women for 29 years. On 8 June 2007, Antonietta Di Martino jumped 2.02 m, establishing the new Italian record for women.

Sara Simeoni is widely considered one of the best Italian female athletes ever. She is married to her coach Erminio Azzaro.[1] Their son Roberto Azzaro is also a high jumper.[2]

Achievements

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
1970 European Junior Championships Colombes, France 5th 1.70 m
1971 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 9th 1.78 m
Mediterranean Games Izmir, Turkey 2nd 1.74 m
1972 Olympic Games Munich, West Germany 6th 1.85 m
1973 European Indoor Championships Rotterdam, Netherlands 9th 1.82 m
Universiade Moscow, Soviet Union 3rd 1.81 m
1974 European Indoor Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 11th 1.75 m
European Championships Rome, Italy 3rd 1.89 m
1975 European Indoor Championships Katowice, Poland 4th 1.80 m
Mediterranean Games Algiers, Algeria 1st 1.89 m
Universiade Rome, Italy 2nd 1.88 m
1976 Olympic Games Montreal, Canada 2nd 1.91 m
1977 European Indoor Championships San Sebastián, Spain 1st 1.92 m
Universiade Sofia, Bulgaria 1st 1.92 m
World Cup Düsseldorf, West Germany 2nd 1.92 m1
1978 European Indoor Championships Milan, Italy 1st 1.94 m
European Championships Prague, Czechoslovakia 1st 2.01 m
1979 World Cup Montreal, Canada 2nd 1.94 m1
Universiade Mexico City, Mexico 3rd 1.92 m
Mediterranean Games Split, Yugoslavia 1st 1.98 m
1980 European Indoor Championships Sindelfingen, West Germany 1st 1.95 m
Olympic Games Moscow, Soviet Union 1st 1.97 m
1981 European Indoor Championships Grenoble, France 1st 1.97 m
Universiade Bucharest, Romania 1st 1.96 m
1982 European Championships Athens, Greece 3rd 1.97 m
1983 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 19th (q) 1.84 m
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 2nd 2.00 m
1986 European Championships Stuttgart, West Germany 13th (q) 1.86 m

1Representing Europe

National titles

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She won 25 national championships at individual senior level.[3][4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Sara Simeoni". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. ^ Roberto Azzaro. iaaf.org
  3. ^ "ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  4. ^ "ITALIAN INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
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