Gian Marco Schivo

Gian Marco Schivo was born in Toulon, France, and was an Italian high jumper in the last part of 1960s and the early 1970s. At the age of 19, on 5 July 1968, he won the Italian title at Trieste with 2.09, defeating the former Olympian Giacomo Crosa and two-time national champion Vittoriano Drovandi. Coached by Carlo Vittori, who would later be the coach of Pietro Mennea and the Italian sprint team, Schivo was third at the Italian championships in 1969 with a poor 2.00 m. and second a year later with 2.10 in events won by Erminio Azzaro.

In 1971, at the Helsinki European Championships, Schivo was in the final with a 15th place overall, with 2.08, ahead of Azzaro (who had won another national title on 7 July), who was 17th and last. In September Schivo won the gold medal at the Mediterranean Games with 2.11, defeating the Greeks Ioannis Kousoulas and Dimitrios Patronis, as well as Azzaro, the latter of whom was fourth with 2.05.

In 1972 Schivo reached the climax of his career at the age of 23. After a disappointing 14th place at the Indoor Europeans, he won a four-way tournament at Roma on 21 May with the teams of Italy, Soviet Union, Belgium and Romania, with 2.17 (a personal best), and also defeated the European champion Kęstutis Šapka and the upcoming Olympic gold medalist Jüri Tarmak, two Soviets with significant personal bests (2.23 for both). On 12 July he won his second national title, with 2.16, defeating Enzo Del Forno (who had the same mark) and Crosa.

In the pre-Olympic meetings at Oslo (2.09 m.), Viareggio (2.15 m.) and Munchen (2.10 m.), however, Schivio lost against the best European jumpers, while Del Forno was in good form. At the Olympics, Del Forno was 10th and Schivo only 17th with 2.10, after he cleared 2.15 in qualification. In his last year of major competitions (1973), Schivo was third at the national championships on 10 July at Roma with 2.11 behind Del Forno and the 17-year-old Giordano Ferrari. Schivo also twice reached 2.16 at Formia (13 June) and Milano (26 June). In total he earned 25 international caps from 1968-73.

Personal Best: HJ – 2.17 (1972).