Pier Angelo Conti-Manzini

Pier Angelo Conti Manzini discovered rowing when he was around 12-years-old, after his family decided to send him to middle school in Dongo, the school that the Falck company made available to the children of its employees. It was there, from 1960 onwards, that Manzini became passionate about rowing, but he had to overcome his father’s insistence not to race for Falck, as the company required the family to sign a release clause in case of accidents. Despite his father´s opposition, however, Manzini began racing and in 1963 became the Italian coxless fours champion. He won his first international selection in 1964, and the following year, when still only 17-years-of-age, collected the Italian coxed fours title in a crew that contained Renato Bosatta and Emilio Trivini.

In 1966 Manzini joined the Navy for a year but continued with his rowing and that year took part in his first World Championships, at Bled, Slovenia, but failed to medal. After completing his military service, and alternating between coxed fours and eights, Manzini was selected for the coxless fours that went to the 1968 Mexico Olympics, where they won the bronze medal behind East Germany and Hungary.

Manzini joined the Fiamme Gialle (Tax Police) in 1969 and went on to win three senior Italian titles in the coxless fours and one in the eights. He also continued to compete with the national team until the 1972 München Olympics, where the Italian crew finished 10th. With his wife Margrit and son Patrick, Manzini later moved to Mendrisio, Switzerland to practice as a physiotherapist, but he sadly died of a stroke in 2003 at the age of 57.