Italian rower Giovanni Invernizzi, born precisely in Rongio at the time an independent municipality, then became a fraction of Mandello del Lario, a municipality then in the province of Como, and subsequently passed to the province of Lecco, was part of a coxless four that was composed of four men from the same factory in the town of Mandello del Lario, on the shores of Lake Como. The quartet had won the 1947 European Championships in Lucerne, making them a favorite for the 1948 London Olympics. They won gold comfortably at Henley and went on to retain their European title in 1949 (Amsterdam) and 1950 (Milano).
Returning for a second Olympic title in Helsinki, the crew was eliminated in the semi-finals, beaten by a Finnish squad by less than a second. Invernizzi was awarded the Gold Medal of the Italian Olympic Committee for his rowing achievements.
Italy