Silvia Salis

Silvia Salis (born 17 September 1985) is an Italian politician, former sports manager and retired hammer thrower. In May 2025, she was elected Mayor of Genoa.

Since 2021, she has served as Vice President of the National Council of the Italian National Olympic Committee.

Biography Early life Silvia Salis was born in Genoa, Liguria, and grew up in the district of Sturla. Her father, Eugenio, originally from Sorso, Sardinia, worked as a groundskeeper at the Villa Gentile athletics field and was an active member of the Italian Communist Party. Her mother was employed by the municipality.

Youth career Salis began training in track and field in 1993 at the age of eight. Initially interested in the long jump, she eventually shifted her focus to throwing events under the guidance of coach Valter Superina, himself a former hammer thrower.

Salis's first national successes came in 2001, when she won youth titles and represented Italy at the World Youth Championships in Debrecen. Over the following years, she claimed multiple Italian junior and under-23 titles and took part in major international competitions, including the European and World Junior Championships, as well as the European U23 Championships.

Rise to the National Team and the Beijing Olympics Salis made her senior debut with the Italian national team at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg, though she did not advance to the final. In 2007, she finished fourth at the European U23 Championships and ninth at the Universiade in Bangkok. The following year she won several national medals, including gold at the university championships and silver at both the indoor and outdoor national competitions. Internationally, she placed seventh at the European Winter Throwing Cup in Split and fifth at the European Cup in Annecy. In 2008 she surpassed the 70-meter mark for the first time, qualifying for the Beijing Olympics. However, she did not reach the final.

International breakthrough and medals (2009–2011) In 2009, Salis won two national titles and earned a bronze medal at the European Winter Throwing Cup in the Canary Islands. That summer, she won gold at the Mediterranean Games in Pescara. She also placed fifth at the Universiade in Belgrade and competed at the World Championships in Berlin without reaching the final. Over the next two years, she continued to dominate at the national level, claiming both winter and summer titles. Internationally, she finished seventh at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona and took silver at the Winter Throwing Cup in Arles. In 2011, she set her personal best of 71.93 meters at a meet in Savona. That season also included top-eight finishes at the Winter Throwing Cup in Sofia, the European Team Championships in Stockholm, and the World Championships in Daegu, where she placed eighth.

London Olympics and final seasons (2012–2015) Salis began 2012 with three national titles—indoor, outdoor, and university—but experienced setbacks internationally. She finished ninth at the European Winter Throwing Cup in Montenegro and failed to register a valid throw in qualification at the European Championships in Helsinki. At the London Olympics, she did not progress beyond the qualification round, registering only one legal throw that hit the cage and landed at 10.84 meters.

In the years that followed, she remained a prominent figure in national competitions. In 2013 she was seventh at the European Team Championships in Gateshead. In 2014, she won another national title and placed fourth at the European Winter Throwing Cup in Leiria and fifth at the European Team Championships in Braunschweig. She continued competing in 2015, winning her tenth national title at the Italian Championships in Turin and finishing seventh again in Leiria.

Transition to Sports administration In April 2016, Salis retired from competition due to injury. She soon transitioned into a leadership role, becoming a sports executive for the Fiamme Azzurre, the police sports group she had long represented. Later that year, she was elected to the Federal Council of the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL). In 2017, she joined the National Council of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), and in May 2021, she was elected Deputy Vice President of CONI.

Political career On 26 May 2025, she was elected Mayor of Genoa, defeating the centre-right candidate . Salis entered politics in early 2025 when she was announced as the centre-left coalition's candidate for mayor of Genoa in the local elections. Her candidacy was backed by the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, the Green and Left Alliance, and several civic lists, including one bearing her name, "Silvia Salis Sindaca".

Personal life She graduated from Link Campus University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2018.

She married the writer and director Fausto Brizzi in 2020, and their first child was born on 5 October 2023.

Records Progression Year Performance Location Date World Rank 2015 70.42 m Rieti 15 June 2014 70.48 m Lucca 22 February 2013 69.68 m Halle 25 May 40ª 2012 70.20 m Lucca 25 February 45ª 2011 71.93 m Savona 18 May 15ª 2010 71.25 m San Benedetto del Tronto 7 March 18ª 2009 71.77 m Los Realejos 14 March 19ª 2008 70.42 m Savona 8 July 30ª 2007 66.19 m Padua 27 July 78ª 2006 65.61 m Genova 20 May 68ª 2005 64.96 m Padua 2 July 75ª 2004 61.70 m Ascoli Piceno 28 February 136ª 2003 58.24 m Tampere 24 July 217ª 2002 55.33 m Savona 4 May 287ª 2001 52.80 m Genova 15 September 345ª

Palmarès

National titles She has won the individual national championship eight times.

3 wins in the hammer throw (2010, 2011, 2012) 5 wins in the hammer throw at the Italian Winter Throwing Championships (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014)

National Titles Year Competition Location Event Performance 2001 Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships Pietrasanta Hammer throw (youth) 45.38 m Italian Youth Championships Fano Hammer throw 56.89 m 2002 Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships Ascoli Piceno Hammer throw (youth) 52.44 m Italian Senior Championships Viareggio Hammer throw 55.23 m Italian Youth Championships Turin 50.33 m 2003 Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships Gioia Tauro Hammer throw (junior) 57.09 m Italian Junior and Under-23 Championships Grosseto Hammer throw 54.17 m 2004 Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships Ascoli Piceno Hammer throw (junior) 61.70 m 2005 Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships Vigna di Valle Hammer throw 63.67 m Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships (Under-23) Vigna di Valle 63.67 m Italian Junior and Under-23 Championships Grosseto 64.13 m Italian Senior Championships Bressanone 64.67 m 2006 Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships Ascoli Piceno 63.61 m Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships (Under-23) Ascoli Piceno 63.61 m Italian Senior Championships Turin 62.52 m 2007 Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships Bari 64.46 m Italian Senior and Junior Winter Throwing Championships (Under-23) Bari 64.46 m Italian University Championships Jesolo 63.92 m Italian Senior Championships Padua 66.19 m Italian Junior and Under-23 Championships Bressanone 65.87 m 2008 Italian Winter Throwing Championships San Benedetto del Tronto 66.84 m Italian University Championships Pisa 69.67 m Italian Senior Championships Cagliari 69.72 m 2009 Italian Winter Throwing Championships Bari 67.63 m Italian University Championships Lignano Sabbiadoro 68.53 m Italian Senior Championships Milan 68.59 m 2010 Italian Winter Throwing Championships San Benedetto del Tronto 71.25 m Italian Senior Championships Grosseto 70.23 m 2011 Italian Winter Throwing Championships Viterbo 67.45 m 2012 Italian Winter Throwing Championships Lucca 70.20 m Italian University Championships Messina 65.15 m Italian Senior Championships Bressanone 70.18 m 2014 Italian Winter Throwing Championships Lucca 70.48 m 2015 Italian Winter Throwing Championships Lucca 69.36 m Italian Senior Championships Turin 67.51 m

Other international competitions Year Championship Country Placement Event Performance 2008 European Cup Winter Throwing (Split) 7th Hammer throw 67.17 m European Cup (Annecy) 5th 70.05 m Meeting Internazionale Città di Rieti (Rieti) 5th 69.59 m 2009 European Cup Winter Throwing (Los Realejos) 3rd (Bronze) 71.77 m 2010 European Cup Winter Throwing (Arles) 2nd (Silver) 69.43 m IAAF World Challenge Dakar (Dakar) 5th 68.36 m 2011 European Cup Winter Throwing (Sofia) 6th 68.58 m European Team Championships (Stockholm) 8th 66.55 m 2012 European Cup Winter Throwing (Bar) 9th 65.66 m 2013 European Team Championships (Gateshead) 7th 64.76 m 2014 European Cup Winter Throwing (Leiria) 4th 68.75 m European Team Championships (Braunschweig) 5th 67.98 m 2015 European Cup Winter Throwing (Leiria) 7th 68.85 m