Giuseppe Zucchinetti

Giuseppe “Pino” Zucchinetti was an Italian sailor who competed in the 1968 Olympics. A native of Alassio on the Mediterranean Sea, he was one of the first Italian sailing champions after World War II. He started with the Dinghy 12 class, where he enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Lillo Gaibisso before winning the Italian title in 1960.

After moving up to the 5.50-metre class, Zucchinetti teamed up with brothers Domenico and Antonio Carattino from Varazze in the Liguria Region, from where Zucchinetti also hailed. The average age of the three-man crew was over 45 years, but they still managed a creditable fifth place finish at the 1968 Olympics, and even won the fifth of the seven races. Earlier in 1968 the three men finished sixth overall at the European Championships in Neuchatel, Switzerland.

For many years Zucchinetti was associated with the sailing club CNAM (Circolo Nautico “Al Mare”), and was President for many years. He was also a sailing judge and officiated at many important national and international competitions. Zucchinetti’s daughter Roberta was also an excellent sailor in the Optimist and Laser classes, and in the latter won the 1991 and 1992 European titles and then the prestigious Trophy Beppe Croce at Portofino in 1993.