Claudia Testoni

Claudia Testoni

Personal information
Nationality	Italian
Born	(1915-12-19)December 19, 1915 Bologna, Italy
Died	17 July 1998(1998-07-17) (aged 78) Cagliari, Italy
Sport
Country	Italy
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Sprint Hurdling Long jump
Club	SEF Virtus Bologna Venchi Unica Torino
Retired	1941
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	80 m hs: 11.3 (1939) 100 m: 12.9 (1939) 200 m: 25.5 (1937) High jump: 1.54 m (1936) Long jump: 5.65 m (1937) Shot put: 10.35 m (1936)
Medal record European Championships 1938 Vienna 80 metres hurdles International University Games 1933 Turin Long jump 1933 Turin 4x100 m relay 1933 Turin 80 metres hurdles 1933 Turin 100 metres

Claudia Testoni (19 December 1915 – 17 July 1998), was an Italian hurdler, sprinter and long jumper. She was European champion, in 1938, on 80 metres hurdles. She was born in Bologna and died in Cagliari.

Biography

Testoni is one of the 38 athletes included in the FIDAL Hall of Fame (list of Italian athletes who have won at least one gold medal at the Olympic Games, World Championships or European Championships, or who have achieved a world record).

She was 4th at the 1936 Summer Olympics in two events. From 1931 to 1940 she has 17 caps in the Italian national athletics team. In the 1930s was celebrated her rivalry with compatriot Ondina Valla (the winner in Berlin 1936), after a thrilling final, resolved by a photo finish, and the same place in the 4 × 100 m relay. It is said that the disappointment over the Olympic fourth place was so great, that from that moment on she turned her back to her friend and rival Ondina; other sources, however, report letters in which the two friends showed renewed demonstrations of affection.

She was the world record holder in the 80 m hurdles event, until in 1942 it was taken away by Fanny Blankers-Koen. Her son-in-law, Claudio Velluti, was a professional basketball player of Olimpia Milano.

World record

• 80 metres hurdles: 11.3 ( Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 23 July 1939)
• 80 metres hurdles: 11.3 ( Dresden, 13 August 1939)

Personal best

• 100 metres: 12"09 (1939)
• 80 metres hurdles: 11"3 (1939)

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Performance	Note
1936	Olympic Games	Berlin	4th	80 metres hurdles	11.7	=
			Heat	100 metres	-
			4th	4 × 100 m relay	48.7
1938	European Championships	Vienna	1st	80 metres hurdles	11"6

National championships

Claudia Testoni has won the Italian Athletics Championships 19 times in various specialties.

• 1 win in 60 metres (1933)
• 1 win in 80 metres (1932)
• 3 wins in 100 metres (1932, 1937, 1940)
• 2 wins in 200 metres (1933, 1934)
• 5 wins in 80 metres hurdles (1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940)
• 7 wins in long jump (1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938)

See also

• Women's 80 metres hurdles world record progression
• Testoni–Valla rivalry
• FIDAL Hall of Fame

External links

• Claudia Testoni at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
• Claudia Testoni from site Track and Field Statistics
• Athlete profile at FIDAL web site
• Media related to Claudia Testoni at Wikimedia Commons