Beniamino Bonomi

Throughout his career, Beniamino Bonomi won a lot of silver medals, although eventually won both an Olympic gold medal and a World Championship gold medal. In 1995, Bonomi won the world title in the K2 500 m together with Daniele Scarpa. Favored for the gold in Atlanta, they couple lost the Olympic final by 0.032 seconds, after leading with just 50 m to go. Four years later, Bonomi paired up with Antonio Rossi. Having shaved off his left sideburn for good luck, Bonomi and his partner won the gold by a clear margin this time. In addition to these medals, Bonomi won two more Olympic silvers, 6 silvers at World Championships - 1991 K1 10000 m, 1997 K1 1000 m, 1997 K2 200 m (with Paolo Tommasini), 1997 K2 500 m (with Luca Negri), 1998 K2 500 m (with Luca Negri), 1998 K4 200 m (with Antonio Rossi, Ivano Lussignoli, and Luca Negri), one European title and a host of Italian championships.