Abbagnale was born in the hamlet of Messigno,Pompei, into the rowing dynasty headed by his elder brothersGiuseppe andCarmine.[3] He began training on the Sarno river under their uncle-coach Giuseppe La Mura and by 19 had stroked the Italian eight to silver at the 1985World Rowing Championships in Hazewinkel.[3]
Selected for the men’squadruple sculls at the1988 Summer Olympics inSeoul, Abbagnale joined Gianluca Farina, Piero Poli and Davide Tizzano to win Italy’s first Olympic sculling title in a time of 5 m 43.40 s,[4] only minutes after his brothers triumphed in thecoxed pair.
After the medal ceremony, Abbagnale, who is a poor swimmer, jumped into the rowing lake and landed on one of his partnersDavide Tizzano, knocking the gold medal out of his hand. It took scuba divers two days to recover the missing medal.[citation needed]
Weeks later he was diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis linked to a congenital protein-C deficiency, forcing a five-year hiatus from competition.[5] In 2000 coach-physician Giuseppe La Mura explained that lifetime anticoagulant therapy made banned substances “a lethal combination” for the rower, rebutting doping rumours.[6]
Abbagnale became a national junior coach and technical consultant for theItalian Rowing Federation.[4]In 2006, he was awarded theThomas Keller Medal, given byFISA, the governing board for international rowing. The Thomas Keller Medal is awarded for an outstanding career in international rowing. Abbagnale's brothers Carmine and Giuseppe had been awarded the Thomas Keller Medal in 1997.
Italian media routinely describe him as “il più grande canottiere italiano di tutti i tempi,” the greatest Italian oarsman of all time, citing both his longevity and his pioneering fight against serious illness.[4][3]
^"Abbagnale new Italian Rowing president". worldrowing.com. 30 November 2012. Retrieved21 May 2020.The Italian Rowing Federation has a new president. He is Giuseppe Abbagnale, the three-time Olympic medallist and from Italy's most famed rowing family of Carmine, Agostino and Giuseppe Abbagnale.
