Sirio Banchelli

Sirio Banchelli was a swimmer, water polo player and coach. He set an Italian record in the 100 metre freestyle in 1931 (1:03.0 in Bologna), winning the national title at the same distance in 1932 and, in 1935, won the 4x200 relay national title as a member of Rari Nantes Florentia. With the same club he won six Italian Championships in water polo (1933-34, 1936-38, 1940).

After finishing his active career, Banchelli was a coach in Greece, Tunisia, Napoli, Sicily, and the Ligurian region. In 1954 he moved to Roma, where he trained a new generation of swimmers at the Centro di Addestramento (Centre of Training). Banchelli also authored some popular works on swimming, including Nozioni elementari per l’insegnamento del nuoto.