Filippo Tortu

Filippo Tortu (born 15 June 1998) is an Italian sprinter with a personal best in the 100 meters of 9.99, the first Italian in history to break the 10 seconds barrier. He won the gold medal in 100 metres at the 2017 European U20 Championships and the silver medal at the 2016 World U20 Championships. He ran the anchor leg in the 4×100m relay of the Italian team that won the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. At the individual level he won the bronze medal in 200 metres at the 2022 European Championships. He is coached by his father, Salvino Tortu, a former Sardinian sprinter who moved to Lombardy.[1]

Filippo Tortu
Tortu at the 2018 Mediterranean Games
Personal information
Born (1998-06-15) 15 June 1998
Milan, Italy[1]
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
CountryItaly
SportAthletics
Event(s)100 m, 200 m
ClubG.S. Fiamme Gialle
Coached bySalvino Tortu
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • 60 m: 6.58 (2019)
  • 100 m: 9.99 (2018)
  • 200 m: 20.10 (2022)
  • 4×100 m relay: 37.50 (2021) NR
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Italy
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 0
World Championships 0 1 0
World Relays 1 0 0
European Championships 0 0 1
European Games 0 1 0
Mediterranean Games 1 0 0
World U20 Championships 0 1 0
European U20 Championships 1 1 0
Total 4 4 1
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020 Tokyo4×100 m relay
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2023 Budapest4×100 m relay
World Relays
Gold medal – first place2021 Chorzów4×100 m relay
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place2022 Munich200 m
European Games
Silver medal – second place2023 Kraków-Małopolska4×100 m relay
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place2018 Tarragona4×100 m relay
World U20 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2016 Bydgoszcz 100 m
European U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Grosseto 100 m
Silver medal – second place 2017 Grosseto 4×100 m relay

Biography

Born in Milan but with Sardinian origins (his father, Salvino Tortu, is a former runner too), he began to play sports at the age of eight years, dividing his time between track and field and basketball.

In 2010 and 2011, he won the title of fastest runner in Milan while competing in the categories prima media and seconda media (first and second years of middle school). He then started to dedicate himself entirely to track and field, coached by his father. In 2013, he won the 80 meters in the Italian championships in Jesolo (category cadetto) with a time of 9.09.

He finished third at the 2014 trials for the European Youth Olympic Games although he did not qualify. He did however qualify for the 200 meters, but in the preliminary race for the Youth Olympics he fell at the finish line; he broke both arms and as a result was not able to compete in the finals. In 2015, he broke the Italian youth record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.33, as well as in the 200 meters with a time of 20.92.

In 2016, he broke the Italian junior record of 100 meters in Savona, twice obtaining a time of 10.24; this record had been unbeaten for 34 years, and was held by Pierfrancesco Pavoni who ran the distance in 10.25 at the 1982 European Championships. A month later, he landed his first Italian title in Rieti, winning the final of 100 meters in 10.32. He took part in the European Championships in Amsterdam, where he qualified for the semifinals by winning with a time of 10.19, which was a new Italian junior record. He failed, however, to reach the final by 0.03 seconds. He also ran the final leg of 4×100 relay, landing a 5th place. He participated at the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, where he won the silver medal in 100 meters with 10.24, behind the American Noah Lyles (10.17). In the same championship he participated in the 4×100 relay where they finished 7th.

At the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Tortu competed in the men's 100m. He reached the semi-final but did not qualify for the finals.[2] Tortu also ran the anchor leg in the 4×100 relay final, coming from behind to pip the GB team by one-hundredth of a second, running his leg with only 8.845 seconds and winning a historic gold.[3]

National records

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeNotes
2014 Youth Olympic Games China Nanjing Final 200 metres DNS [6]
2016 European Championships Netherlands Amsterdam 9th (sf) 100 metres 10.19
5th 4×100 m relay 38.69
World U20 Championships Poland Bydgoszcz 2nd 100 metres 10.24
7th 4×100 m relay 40.02
2017 IAAF World Relays The Bahamas Nassau Heat 4×100 m relay DQ R170.7
European U20 Championships Italy Grosseto 1st 100 metres 10.73 (–4.3)
2nd 4×100 m relay 39.50
World Championships United Kingdom London 17th (sf) 200 metres 20.62 w
2018 Mediterranean Games Spain Tarragona 1st 4×100 m relay 38.49
European Championships Germany Berlin 5th 100 metres 10.08
— 4×100 m relay DQ R170.7
2019 IAAF World Relays Japan Yokohama Final 4×100 m relay DNF [7]
World Championships Qatar Doha 7th 100 metres 10.07 SB
10th (sf) 4×100 m relay 38.11 NR
2021 World Athletics Relays Poland Chorzów 1st 4×100 m relay 39.21 [8]
Olympic Games Japan Tokyo 18th (sf) 100 metres 10.16 [9]
1st 4×100 m relay 37.50 NR
2022 World Championships United States Eugene 9th (sf) 200 metres 20.10
10th (h) 4×100 m relay 38.74 SB
European Championships Germany Munich 3rd 200 metres 20.27
2023 European Team Championships Poland Chorzów 5th 200 metres 20.61
2nd 4×100 m relay 38.47 SB
World Championships Hungary Budapest 25th (h) 200 metres 20.46
2nd 4×100 m relay 37.62 SB [10]

Personal bests
Outdoor
Indoor

National titles

See also

References
  1. "FIDAL profile". Archived from the original on 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
  2. "Athletics - TORTU Filippo". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  3. Coskrey, Jason (2021-08-06). "Italy sprints to gold in men's 4x100-meter final; Japan does not finish". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  4. "SPRINT RECORDS FALL IN MADRID". iaaf.org. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018. ...the European junior champion clocked 9.99 to beat the long-standing Italian record of 10.01 set by Pietro Mennea back in 1979, 19 years before Tortu was born.
  5. "Athletics - Final Results - Men's 4 x 100m Relay". IOC. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  6. 21.38 in semifinals
  7. 38.29 in semifinals SB
  8. 38.45 in semifinals EL
  9. 10.10 in heats SB
  10. WL in semifinals
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.