Mario Lanzi

Mario Lanzi was a specialist in 400 and 800 metres running. His first major title came in 1934 when he won the national 800 at Milano, and that same year he was second in the 800 at the inaugural edition of the European Championships in Torino, with the same time as the winner, Miklós Szabó of Hungary.

Two years later, at the Berlin Olympics, after coming close to reaching the final of the 400 metres, Lanzi went on to finish second to John Woodruff in the 800, losing by two metres. A bronze medal followed at the 1938 Europeans in Paris and the following year he lost a memorable 800 metres to the German Rudi Harbig in the Italy-Germany match in Milano. Harbig beat Lanzi by 2.4 seconds to knock nearly two seconds off Sydney Wooderson’s world record. Harbig’s time of 1:46.6 stood for 16 years. Lanzi’s time of 1:49.0 stood as an Italian record until 1963.

Lanzi remained connected with athletics until 1952, when he was the coach of the Italian Federation and was also a mentor for many future Italian middle distance runners at the Athletic Center of Schio.

Personal Bests: 400 – 46.7 (1939); 800 – 1:49.0 (1939).