Aldo Penna

Aldo Penna was an Italian sprinter in the early years after World War II. In the 1949 season the 25-year-old native of the deep south of Italy (Calabria) was strong enough to defeat both the Hungarians and the Czechoslovaks in a triangular match held in Budapest.

Then in September, Penna defeated one of Europe’s fastest men, the Frenchman Etienne Bally who was on tour in Italy, on two consecutive days in the 100 and 200 metres, respectively. In Bari, at the end of September, Penna won his only Italian title in the 100 in 10.7 ahead of Carlo Monti while he was runner-up in the 200. Internationally, Penna’s only major tournament was the 1950 European Championships held in Bruxelles where he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100 metres. From 1949-1951 he won seven caps with the national team.