Marcello Fiasconaro

Marcello Luigi Fiasconaro (born 19 July 1949) is an Italian-South African athlete, who set a world record in the 800 m in 1973.

Early life

Born in Cape Town to an Italian father and South African mother, Fiasconaro spent his youth in this South African coastal city.

His father, Gregorio, was born in Castelbuono, Sicily. A pilot for Italy during World War II, the elder Fiasconaro was shot down over East Africa and taken to South Africa as a prisoner of war. He married Mabel Marie, a South African woman from Pietermaritzburg, and settled in Cape Town, where he was appointed professor of music at the University of Cape Town.

He completed his schooling career at Rondebosch Boys' High School in 1967.

Marcello Fiasconaro's first passion was rugby. After playing for the Villagers Rugby Club in Cape Town, he was selected for the under 20 team.

Fiasconaro was invited to participate in Italy, where he set a new Italian record of 45.7 seconds over the 400 metres, winning the title of Italian Champion at this distance. In 1972 he set an indoor world record in the 400 metres with 46.1 seconds.

But Banner and his charge concluded that Fiasconaro lacked the speed for the 400 m, and should concentrate on the 800 m instead. In 1973 Fiasconaro broke the Italian 800 m record five times, and won the South African Championships over the same distance at Potchefstroom. During the same year he equalled Dicky Broberg's South African record of 1.44.7 – a joint feat that survived for 25 years afterwards.

In 1974, Fiasconaro participated in 800 metres in the Sunkist Invitational Indoor Track Meet in Los Angeles.

World record

The most outstanding moment in Fiasconaro's career came in the evening of 27 June 1973, in Milan. The favourite was Jozef Plachý, a Slovak who had reached the 1968 final and the 1972 semi-final in the 800 m at the Olympic Games. Plachý possessed a devastating finish. Banner and Fiasconaro's tactics were to go out fast. The plan nearly backfired when Plachý managed to stay with Fiasconaro for most of the race, before finally falling back over the last 150 metres. but is still the Italian record – perhaps the longest-lived Italian athletics record in any discipline.

Other sports and acting

In 1973 he play in My Way in role of a runner. He returned to play rugby union in Italy in 1976, playing with CUS Milan (University team) for two seasons.

His talent as an all-round athlete was tested in an appearance in the 1976 heat of The Superstars, a television sports competition that pitted athletes against one another in disciplines other than their own. Although he placed 5th overall, Fiasconaro came first in the 50 m swimming and soccer skills events, and second in 15m pistol shooting.

Later life

After suffering from injuries which prevented him from participating in the Montreal Olympics in 1976, Fiasconaro returned to South Africa in 1978, where he married his girlfriend, Sally. Italian Athletics Championships 400 metres: 1971, 1972, 1973 Italian Indoor Athletics Championships 400 metres: 1972 800 metres: 1975