Mario Vecchi

Mario Vecchi was born in Rieti but moved with his family to Roma when he was a child. He learned about judo when his father sent him to work in the afternoons in a bar in the San Giovanni district that was located near a gym where martial arts, including judo, were practiced.

Vecchi was attracted by this and, at 15, began training as a judoka. In the Fiamma Yamato club he met a well-known athlete, Luciano Di Palma, and an experienced sensei, Masami Matsushita. Vecchi competed at his first national competitions in 1973, adding muscle to get to 90 kg. After his début with the national team in 1974, he increased his training, which led to improved results, and he was named to the 1976 Italian Olympic team for the Montréal Games where he was eliminated after the first match.

Coached by Natale Messina, Vecchi joined the military group of the Guardia di Finanza (Revenue Guard Corps), which prevented him from competing at 1980 Moskva while, four years later, his participation at the Los Angeles Olympics lasted only a little over four minutes. He ended his career with four World Military Championships and 24 national titles. He reached the seventh dan, and became a judo master, teaching in Roma at the Banzai Cortina Martial Art Club.