Roberto Meloni

Roberto Meloni was an Italian judoka who was introduced to the sport at the age of three by his father Angelo, an international judge, who became Roberto’s first coach.

Winner of the Italian youth title in 1994, Meloni established himself at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Tunisia by winning the silver medal. He triumphed at the Mediterranean Games in Tunis the following year and in 2002 at the age of 21, won the European team title and was third in the individual 81 kg category.

Meloni won a third national title in 2003 and won 90 kg silver at that year’s Europeans and added two bronze medals in 2006 and 2007. A bronze at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro gained him selection for his second Olympics at Beijing in 2008.

A third Olympics followed at London 2012 and after that, Meloni brought his career to a close. In addition to his World and European medals, he won eight national championships between 1999-2009, and a silver and gold medal at the World Military Championships in 2002 and 2003.