The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Italy

This page contains a list of the greatest Italian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 413 of which were born in Italy. This makes Italy the birth place of the 6th most number of Athletes behind United Kingdom, and France.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Italian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Italian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Italian Athletes.

1. Giuseppe Moioli (1927 - 2025)

With an HPI of 61.31, Giuseppe Moioli is the most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages on wikipedia.

Giuseppe Moioli (8 August 1927 – 5 May 2025) was an Italian rower who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, in the 1952 Summer Olympics, and in the 1956 Summer Olympics.

2. Carlo Airoldi (1869 - 1929)

With an HPI of 61.21, Carlo Airoldi is the 2nd most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Carlo Airoldi (21 September 1869 in Origgio – 18 June 1929 in Milan) was an Italian marathon runner, famous for walking to the 1896 Olympics.

3. Dorando Pietri (1885 - 1942)

With an HPI of 61.15, Dorando Pietri is the 3rd most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Dorando Pietri (Italian pronunciation: [doˈrando ˈpjɛːtri]; often wrongly spelt Petri; 16 October 1885 – 7 February 1942) was an Italian long-distance runner. He finished first in the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London but was subsequently disqualified.

4. Pietro Mennea (1952 - 2013)

With an HPI of 60.90, Pietro Mennea is the 4th most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Pietro Paolo Mennea (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjɛːtro menˈnɛːa]; 28 June 1952 – 21 March 2013), nicknamed la Freccia del Sud ("the Arrow of the South"), was an Italian sprinter and politician. He was most successful in the 200 m event, winning a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and setting a world record at 19.72 seconds in September 1979. This record stood for almost 17 years – the longest duration in the event history – and is still the European record. He is the only male sprinter who has qualified at four consecutive 200 metres Olympic finals: from 1972 to 1984.

5. Luigi Beccali (1907 - 1990)

With an HPI of 60.72, Luigi Beccali is the 5th most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Luigi Beccali (19 November 1907 – 29 August 1990) was the first Italian to win an Olympic gold medal in running, in the 1500 metres at the 1932 Summer Olympics, and the first Italian to win a European Championship title in athletics.

6. Adolfo Consolini (1917 - 1969)

With an HPI of 60.26, Adolfo Consolini is the 6th most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Adolfo Consolini (5 January 1917 – 20 December 1969) was an Italian discus thrower. He competed at the 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympics and finished in 1st, 2nd, 6th and 17 place, respectively. While winning the gold medal in 1948 he set an Olympic record at 52.78 m. Consolini won three European titles, in 1946, 1950 and 1954, and 15 national titles.

7. Ernesto Ambrosini (1894 - 1951)

With an HPI of 60.09, Ernesto Ambrosini is the 7th most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Ernesto Ambrosini (29 September 1894 – 4 November 1951) was an Italian athlete who competed mainly in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He competed for Italy in the 1920 Summer Olympics held in Antwerp, Belgium in the 3000 metre steeple chase where he won the bronze medal.

8. Giulio Gaudini (1904 - 1948)

With an HPI of 59.99, Giulio Gaudini is the 8th most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Giulio Gaudini (28 September 1904 – 6 January 1948) was an Italian foil and sabre fencer. He competed at the 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won three gold, four silver, and two bronze medals. He was the flag bearer for Italy at the 1936 Games. At the world championships, he earned 17 medals between 1929 and 1938. He died of cancer, aged 43.

9. Carlo Agostoni (1909 - 1972)

With an HPI of 59.52, Carlo Agostoni is the 9th most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Carlo Agostoni (23 March 1909 – 25 June 1972) was an Italian fencer. He won a gold medal, two silvers and a bronze at three Olympic Games.

10. Carlo Pavesi (1923 - 1995)

With an HPI of 59.43, Carlo Pavesi is the 10th most famous Italian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Carlo Pavesi (10 June 1923 – 24 March 1995) was an Italian fencer. He won four gold medals in total at the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympics in the individual and team épée events. He competed at the Mediterranean Games in 1951, where he won a gold medal in the team épée event and a silver medal in the individual épée event, and in 1955, where he won a gold medal in the individual épée event and a silver in the team épée event.

People

Pantheon has 413 people classified as Italian athletes born between 1783 and 2005. Of these 413, 328 (79.42%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Italian athletes include Giancarlo Ferrari, Sara Simeoni, and Giuseppe Gentile. The most famous deceased Italian athletes include Giuseppe Moioli, Carlo Airoldi, and Dorando Pietri. As of April 2024, 413 new Italian athletes have been added to Pantheon including Giuseppe Moioli, Carlo Airoldi, and Dorando Pietri.