Luciana Marcellini

Luciana Marcellini was an Italian breaststroke swimmer. She competed at the 1960 Roma Olympics when she was only 12 years and 227 days, making her one of the youngest participants in the history of the Games and the third youngest Italian Olympian after the gymnasts Luigina Giavotti and Ines Vercesi, who competed at Amsterdam in 1928.

Marcellini began swimming at the age of nine as she spent four months a year at the seaside with her parents. In just three years she competed at the Olympics, helped by the fact that her club, Circolo Canottieri Aniene (her father was the first President of the swimming sector) needed an athlete in the breaststroke event and Marcellini switched to that stroke from freestyle.

CONI decided that, being the youngest athlete at the Games, she would have the prestigious role of carrying the Italian flag at the Opening Ceremony. At the last moment, Giulio Onesti, President of CONI, told her that because her individual event would take place the following day, she should not march in the parade of athletes or carry the flag. In 1961 Marcellini broke the Italian record, ranking fifth on the year list for the 200 breaststroke. No other Italian swimmer had ever been in the top 10 in the world until then in breaststroke.

In addition to swimming, Luciana married a few times, once even to an English Lord. In 1992 she was chosen as one of the world’s 10 most elegant women. In recent years she has dedicated herself to the practice and organization of rowing competitions. In 2019 she received the Milano Trophy for education and culture for young people.