Gelindo Bordin
Personal information
NationalityItalian
Born (1959-04-02) 2 April 1959
Vicenza, Italy
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
CountryItaly Italy
SportAthletics
EventMarathon
ClubAtalanta Paf Alitrans Verona
Achievements and titles
Personal best
  • Marathon: 2:08:19 (1990)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul Marathon
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Rome Marathon
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1986 StuttgartMarathon
Gold medal – first place1990 SplitMarathon
European Marathon Cup
Bronze medal – third place1985 RomeTeam marathon

Gelindo Bordin (born 2 April 1959) is an Italian former athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He is the first Italian to have won an Olympic gold in the marathon and the only male to win both the Boston Marathon and the Olympic gold medal in this event.

Biography

Born in Vicenza, Italy, Bordin made his first breakthrough at the 1986 European Championships, where he won a gold medal in the marathon.[1] His next international competition was the 1987 World Championships in Rome. The marathon race was held on a very hot and humid day. Bordin wisely held back from the leaders in the early stages. He caught up with the leaders after the 35 km mark and finally managed to hold on to the third place, winning a bronze medal.

At the Olympic marathon in Seoul, Bordin stayed with the leaders from the start. After 25 km (16 mi) the leading pack started to distance itself from the rest of the runners. With 5 km (3.1 mi) remaining, only three runners remained: Bordin, Wakiihuri, the Kenyan and the Djiboutan, Salah. With 3 km (1.9 mi) to go, Salah surged forward taking Wakihuri with him and establishing a comfortable gap between the two and Bordin. At this late stage of the race the move seemed a decisive one, leading most viewers and sport commentators to reasonably conclude that the gold and silver medals were to be decided between Wakihuri and Salah, with Bordin hopefully holding on to his bronze medal position. But Bordin's sheer courage and determination gradually saw him lessen the gap and finally catch up with the leaders once again, much to the delight of the Italian commentators and fans who were now ecstatic. He first passed Wakihuri and then the tiring Salah with 1 km (0.62 mi) to go, gradually increasing his lead and achieving the ultimate prize of Olympic gold.[2]

Bordin successfully defended his European marathon title in 1990, becoming the first man to win the title twice, but at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, he finished in a disappointing eighth place.[3] Bordin attempted to defend his Olympic title at 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, but he strained a groin muscle jumping over a fallen runner just after the halfway mark, and failed to finish. Shortly after the 1992 Summer Olympics Bordin decided to retire.[4]

Bordin is the only male to win both the Boston Marathon and an Olympic gold medal in the marathon.[5] He won the Boston Marathon in 1990 and describes the victory as his "second greatest run, after winning the Olympics".[6]

Achievements

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
1984 Milano Marathon Milan, Italy 1st Marathon 2:13:20
1985 1985 World Marathon Cup Hiroshima, Japan 12th Marathon 2:11:29
1985 European Marathon Cup Rome, Italy 7th Marathon 2:15:13
1986 European Championships Stuttgart, West Germany 1st Marathon 2:10:54
1987 Rome City Marathon Rome, Italy 1st Marathon 2:16:03
World Championships Rome, Italy 3rd Marathon 2:12:40
1988 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 4th Marathon 2:09:27
Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 1st Marathon 2:10:32
1989 New York City Marathon New York, United States 3rd Marathon 2:09:40
1990 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 1st Marathon 2:08:19
European Championships Split, FR Yugoslavia 1st Marathon 2:14:02
Venice Marathon Venice, Italy 1st Marathon 2:13:42
1991 World Championships Tokyo, Japan 8th Marathon 2:17:03
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain — Marathon DNF

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gelindo Bordin" (in Italian). fidal.it. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  2. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Gelindo Bordin". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "Gelindo Bordin Career Results". the-sports.org. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Kibiwott takes his second career win in Turin". iaaf.org. 13 April 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Boston Marathon: Just the Facts". Runners World. 15 March 2007. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  6. ↑ Jim Gerweck (18 April 2010). "1990 Champ Gelindo Bordin and the Olympic Jinx". Runners World. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
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