When he won a hockey bronze medal at the 1960 Roma Olympics, Narciso Ventalló became the third youngest Spanish Olympic medalist after the footballers Samitier and Ricardo Zamora. Ventalló was a month short of his 20th birthday at the time. Known as “Siso”, he spent 20 years playing for his home-town team, CD Terrassa from 1957-77, and during that time, they won the Catalunya Championship in 1959, Spanish Cup in 1966 and 1975, and the National League in 1976. Terrassa then qualified for the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup (European Cup) in Ventalló’s final season, where they beat Schwarz-Weiss of Cologne 3-2 in the bronze medal match.
Internationally, Ventalló appeared in four Olympics. He also won a silver medal at the 1963 Mediterranean Games, and a bronze medal at the 1970 European Championships. His brother Santi was also a Spanish international hockey player, and was a member of the same squad as Siso at the 1964 Olympics, although Santi did not play. The two brothers were both solicitors, with their own practice in Terrassa.
Spain