Emilio Lunghi
Encyclopedia
Emilio Lunghi is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, March 16, 1887 - September 27, 1925) was an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
athlete. He won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in the men's 800 metres
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's 800 metres
The men's 800 metres made its fourth Olympic appearance at the 1908 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on July 20, 1908 and on July 21, 1908. The races were held on a track of 536.45 metres= mile in circumference...
race at the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, making him the first Italian to win an Olympic medal.
His time in the race was 1:54.2, which beat the previous Olympic record by 1.8 seconds but was still 1.4 seconds behind the time of Mel Sheppard
Mel Sheppard
Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club and winner of four gold medals at the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics...
, who took gold and set a new record at 1:52.8. Lunghi had won his semifinal heat with a time of 1:57.2 to advance to the final.
Lunghi also competed in the 1500 metres
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metres
The men's 1500 metres was an Olympic event for the fourth times at the 1908 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on July 13, 1908 and on July 14, 1908. The races were held on a track of 536.45 metres= mile in circumference...
. His first-round heat also included Norman Hallows
Norman Hallows
Norman Frederic Hallows was an English athlete. Educated at Felsted School, he won the bronze medal and set an Olympic record in the men's 1500 metres race at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, competing on the Great Britain and Ireland team.His time in the first round was 4:03.4, beating the...
; both of the two runners broke the Olympic record in that heat, but Hallows came out on top by running the race in 4:03.4 as opposed to Lunghi's 4:03.8.
After the 1908 Olympics, Lunghi spent a year New York City, and competed as a member of the Irish American Athletic Club
Irish American Athletic Club
The Irish American Athletic Club was an amateur athletic organization, based in Queens, New York at the beginning of the 20th Century.-Early years:...
while in the U.S., establishing three world's records in the 700 yard, 880 yard and two-thirds of a mile distances.