Aleardo Donati

An athlete of the Sempreavanti club, and a pioneer of Greco-Roman wrestling in Italy, Aleardo Donati competed in four consecutive Olympic Games, with 31 international caps, and was a 19-time Italian champion in his class, heavyweight, from 1922-42, failing to win only in 1932.

Donati began his competitive career at age 16 and by 18 was already Italian champion. He appeared at the Paris and Amsterdam Games and in Los Angeles in 1932. He was fifth at the 1934 European Championships and, at age 32, earned his best Olympic placement at the Berlin Olympics.

After World War II, Donati devoted himself for a short period to political activity as a municipal councillor in Granarolo, where, in 2008, the swimming pool and, in Bologna, a road roundabout were dedicated in his honor.