Massimo Stano

Massimo Stano (born 27 February 1992) is an Italian race walker. He competed in the 20 kilometres walk event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, finishing in the 19th position, and the same event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, finishing in first place. On 24 July 2022, Stano won the 2022 World Athletics Championships with a championship record.

He is the world record holder of 35 km race walk.

Career Born in Grumo Appula, he grew up in Palo del Colle. He started with athletics at 11 years-old with the Fiamma Olimpia Palo, middle-distance running mainly, then starting at 14 years-old to practise race walking with his coach Giovanni Zaccheo. His club becomes for 4 years the Atletica Aden Exprivia Molfetta, the town where he trained. In 2011, he became a policeman as member of the Fiamme Oro. His first big athletics result comes from the 2013 European Athletics U23 Championships in Tampere where he finished initially fourth, but where he won first the bronze medal, then the silver after the doping disqualification of 2 Russians. To improve his results, he left Palo for Sesto San Giovanni taking a new coach, Alessandro Gandellini.

With too many injuries, he finally decided to change again of location and went to , working and training in the barracks of the Fiamme Oro. His new coach becomes Patrizio Percesepe. Very quickly, he started having better results: he won the national championships with a personal best, he finished third at the 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships in Taicang, China and 4th at the European Championships in Berlin, finishing at only 1 second from the podium. In June 2019, he established the new national record of 1:17:45, but then, he finished only 14th at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. 2020 was also a difficult year with more injuries (periostitis) and with Covid pandemic he started again walking at the European Cup in Poděbrady on 16 May 2021 where he finished 8th.

In 2021 he won the gold medal in 20 km race walk at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2022 he won the 35 km race walk event 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene. In 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris he finished 4th at the 20 km walk event, and 6th at the Marathon race walk mixed relay event with Antonella Palmisano.

Personal life In 2016, Stano married Moroccan athlete Fatima Lotfi. They have a daughter, Sophie, and live together in Rome.

Statistics World records 35 km race walk: 2:20:43 Poděbrady, Czech Republic, 18 May 2025 – current holder

National records 20 km race walk: 1:17:45 A Coruña, Spain, 8 June 2019 – current holder 35 km race walk: 2:20:43 Poděbrady, Czech Republic, 18 May 2025 – current holder