Giuseppina Cirulli

Giuseppina Cirulli was an Italian hurdler who began her active career as a child with a dream to be a gymnast. In a large family, however, she had difficulty getting to gymnastics training and, at the middle school, she met Paola Giuli (a former heptathlete), her physical education teacher, who would become her only athletics coach.

Cirulli started as a sprinter but moved to the 400 and 400 hurdles. From 1977-87 she won 11 consecutive Italian 400 hurdle titles with a personal best of 56.44 set in Catania on 7 September 1984. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Cirulli reached the semi-finals in the 400 hurdles, and ran in the heats of the 4x400 relay. Her best individual result was at the 1983 Mediterranean Games when she won a silver medal in the 400 hurdles behind Olympic gold medalist Nawal El-Moutawakel. At the Mediterranean Games she also won two gold medals in the 4x400 relay, in 1983 and 1987. Cirulli was a semi-finalist at the 1982 European Championships. She earned 47 international caps from 1976-88.

After finishing her active career Cirulli studied and practiced alternative medicine, Chinese traditional medicine, and shiatsu. She also continued to compete in masters’ athletics in the 100 and 200 metres

Personal Bests: 400 – 53.18 (1982); 400H – 56.44 (1984).