Franco Menichelli (born 3 August 1941) is a retired Italian gymnast. He competed in all artistic gymnastics events at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Olympics and won one gold, one silver, and three bronze medals.

Franco Menichelli
Franco Menichelli at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameFranco Menichelli
Born (1941-08-03) 3 August 1941 (age 83)
HometownRome
Height163 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented Italy
ClubAssociazione Ginnastica Romana[1]
Retired1968
Medal record
Representing  Italy
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1964 Tokyo Floor exercise
Silver medal – second place 1964 Tokyo Rings
Bronze medal – third place 1960 Rome Floor
Bronze medal – third place 1960 Rome Team
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Tokyo Parallel bars
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1962 Prague Floor
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Dortmund Floor
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Dortmund Rings
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1965 Antwerp All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1967 Tampere All-around

Biography

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He was most successful in 1964, when he won a gold on the floor, a silver on rings and a bronze on parallel bars.[1] He severely injured an Achilles tendon on landing during the floor exercise at the 1968 Olympics, and retired shortly thereafter.[2] From 1973 to 1979 he coached the national gymnastics team.[3] In 2003 he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[4]

His brother Giampaolo Menichelli was an international football player.[3][2]

Awards

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On 7 May 2015, in the presence of the President of Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), Giovanni Malagò, was inaugurated in the Olympic Park of the Foro Italico in Rome, along Viale delle Olimpiadi, the Walk of Fame of Italian sport, consisting of 100 tiles that chronologically report names of the most representative athletes in the history of Italian sport. On each tile are the name of the sportsman, the sport in which he distinguished himself and the symbol of CONI. One of these tiles is dedicated to Franco Menichelli.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Franco Menichelli Archived 23 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  2. ^ a b Storie di ginnastica l'imperatore del giappone franco menichelli, storia di un campione. storiedisport.it
  3. ^ a b Franco Menichelli. medagliedoro.org
  4. ^ Franco Menichelli. ighof.com
  5. ^ "Inaugurata la Walk of Fame: 100 targhe per celebrare le leggende dello sport italiano" (in Italian). coni.it. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
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