Giovanni Frangipane

Giovanni Frangipane was a man of various talents. As well as being the first Italian to reach the semi-finals of the Olympic 100 metres, he also played football for a decade in the pink shirts of the Palermo club in the Southern Italian league and was an accomplished mountaineer. He was champion of the Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy) in the 100 metres several times. At football he played as both a midfielder and a winger until he retired from the sport in 1929. He competed at the 1924 Paris Olympics placing sixth in the second semi-final of 100 metres in 11.2 seconds. For Frangipane, born on the island of Sicily, this was an excellent result considering he was born in an area where athletics was not hugely popular.

Personal Best: 100 – 10.8 (1923).