2004 Olympic Games 20km walk champion Ivano Brugnetti retires
20.10.2011 World
Italy’s Ivano Brugnetti, the 2004 Olympic Games 20km walk champion and the 1999 World Championships gold medallist over 50km, has announced his international retirement from the sport at age of 35.
He celebrated his farewell in Rome last Saturday after the sixth leg of this year's Italian Walking Race Grand Prix.
“The biggest thrill remains getting on the podium in Sevilla (the 1999 World Championships) when I was just 22. It was my first major championship in an Italian vest, I was an unknown and the podium was not something I was thinking about. It still gives me a thrill thinking about it,” reflected Brugnetti.
“Of course, winning the Olympic title in Athens was fantastic, the culmination of all my hard work. I didn't collect all the medals I (potentially) could have done. I made a few errors of assessment in races but, on many occasions, I was successful. It's not so bad to retire after winning World Championships and Olympic Games gold medals.
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