Fausto Desalu

Eseosa Fostine "Fausto" Desalu (; born 19 February 1994) is an Italian sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres. He is the second-fastest Italian ever in the distance behind only Pietro Mennea, with a personal best of 20.08 seconds.

He was part of the 4 × 100 m relay team that won gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Biography Born in Casalmaggiore, Italy, to Nigerian parents, Desalu acquired Italian citizenship in 2012, aged 18.

He originally focused on association football in his youth. However, he began to take up track and field around 2008, initially focusing on the sprint hurdles. His speed was better than his technique and he eventually focused on the 200 m instead. He gained full Italian citizenship in 2012. A member of Gruppi Sportivi Fiamme Gialle – the sports club of Italy's fiscal police force – he made his international debut at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. However, he failed to progress beyond the heats. He also ran with the 4 × 100 metres relay team, but they were also eliminated in the heats stage.

Desalu's first international medal came at the 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships, where he was a relay bronze medallist on home turf in Rieti, running the anchor leg on a team of Giacomo Isolano, Lorenzo Bilotti and Roberto Rigali. He also managed fifth place individually in the 200 m. His first senior medal followed at the 2014 European Team Championships, where he was part of the bronze medal-winning relay quartet alongside Massimiliano Ferraro, Diego Marani, and Delmas Obou. He was selected both individually and for the relay for Italy at the 2014 European Athletics Championships. He was a semi-finalist in the 200 m, having set a best of 20.55 seconds in the heats, and was a finalist in the relay with Fabio Cerutti, Marani and Obou (although the Italians failed to finish). He came close to a second medal at the games in the relay, placing fourth with Cerutti, Obou and Matteo Galvan.

On 4 September 2020, he became the first Italian to win a 200 m race event of the Diamond League during the Memorial Van Damme in 20.39 seconds. The following year, he made history by being part of the Italian team that won the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo.

At the 2026 European Championships held in Birmingham, Desalu claimed the bronze medal in the 200 metres with a time of 20.26 seconds.

Statistics National records 4 × 100 m relay: 37.50 ( Tokyo, 6 August 2021), he ran third leg in the team with Lorenzo Patta, Marcell Jacobs, Filippo Tortu.

Personal bests 60 metres – 6.76 seconds (2015) 100 metres – 10.21 seconds (2022) 200 metres – 20.08 seconds (2024) 110 metres hurdles – 14.20 seconds (2010) 60 metres hurdles – 7.86 seconds (2011) All information from European Athletics

For reference: split time of 4 × 100 m relay - 9.170 (third leg) (2021)

Achievements Desalu (first from right) with Federico Cattaneo, Filippo Tortu and Davide Manenti, the Italian national track relay team, at the 2018 Mediterranean Games. 1Did not finish in the final

National titles Desalu won six national championships at individual senior level.

Italian Athletics Championships 100 m: 2025 (1) 200 m: 2016, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025 (5)