Not yet 16 years of age, Bruno Cipolla had already won an Olympic gold medal and European title. The coxswain of the Italian coxed pairs, he led Primo Baran and Renzo Sambo to the European title in 1967 and the Olympic gold in Mexico next year. The Fiat factory presented him with a car for his victory, “I don’t even have a license. I’ll give it to my Dad, I hope he’ll get me a scooter instead.” A motorcycle accident later interrupted his career for half a year and he left the sport in 1971. He received in 2015 the Gold Collar for Sporting Merit from the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).
Italy