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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1898-05-10)10 May 1898 Acqui Terme, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 4 May 1991(1991-05-04) (aged 92) Milan, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Hurdles | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | SG Gallaratese GSOM Milanolano SS Ambrosiana | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Luigi Facelli (10 May 1898 – 4 May 1991) was an Italianhurdler. He was born inAcqui Terme, in Piedmont, and died inMilan at the age of 92.[1] He was one of Italy's greatest hurdlers.[2] He was particularly known for rivalry with the British championDavid Burghley in the 1920s and 1930s.[3]
Luigi Facelli participated at fourSummer Olympics (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936). He finished 8th at the1924 Summer Olympics in the4 × 400 metres relay, 6th at the1928 Summer Olympics in the400 metres hurdles and 5th and 6th at the1932 Summer Olympics respectively in the 400 metres hurdles and in the 4 × 400 metres relay. He had 30 caps innational team from 1924 to 1936.[4]
During hisrivalry withDavid Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter (Lord David Burghley), won 6 of the 11 contests.[5] Because of the noble origins of Burghley theirepic was renamed "The Prince and the Pauper." As part of theAAA Championships (which were considered a kind ofEuropean Athletics Championships at the time) he won three of the five contests against Burghley,[6] winning the title at the1929 AAA Championships,[7][8]1931 AAA Championships and the1933 AAA Championships.[9]
Despite their different walks of life,Lord Burghley considered Facelli a friend for years. Burghley invited him to theopening ceremony for the1948 Summer Olympics in London. When Facelli received the letter he passed it to a friend to translate. However, the friend was unable to translate the whole later and the invitation was missed.[5] Burghley also explained in the letter that Facelli would find a plane ticket to London at theBritish Consulate inMilan and also arranged accommodation for himLondon - but all this was "lost in translation".[5]
Facelli set aEuropean record in the400 metres hurdles with the time of 52.4, set inBologna, Italy, on 6 October 1929. He was holder of the record till 9 July 1939.[10]
In honour of his sporting successes, theItalian government assigned to him an annual sum following a decision by the Council of Ministers (Legge Bacchelli).[11] In 1988, on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday, the Italian designerOttavio Missoni gave a party in his honor. Facelli resided inCorsico, and died in a clinic inMilan in 1991 at the age of 93 years.[12]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Performance | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Olympic Games |  Paris | 8th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:28.0 | [13] |
| 1928 | Olympic Games |  Amsterdam | 6th | 400 m hs | 55.8 | [14] |
| Heat | 4 × 400 m relay | 3.17.8 | ||||
| 1932 | Olympic Games |  Los Angeles | 5th | 400 m hs | 53.0 | |
| 6th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:17.8 | ||||
| 1934 | European Championships | Turin | 6th | 400 m hs | DNF | [15] |
Luigi Facelli won 17 competitions in the Italiannational championship for athletics.[16]
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