Italy at the 1988 Summer Olympics
IOC code	ITA
NOC	Italian National Olympic Committee
Website	www.coni.it (in Italian)
in Seoul
Competitors	253 (212 men, 41 women) in 23 sports
Flag bearer	Pietro Mennea
Medals Ranked 10th	Gold 6 Silver 4 Bronze 4 Total 14
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

Italy competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. 253 competitors, 212 men and 41 women, took part in 140 events in 23 sports.^[1]

Medalists

Medal	Name	Sport	Event	Date
Gold	Vincenzo Maenza	Wrestling	Men's Greco-Roman 48 kg	20 September
Gold	Stefano Cerioni	Fencing	Men's foil	21 September
Gold	Carmine Abbagnale Giuseppe Abbagnale Giuseppe Di Capua	Rowing	Men's coxed pair	25 September
Gold	Agostino Abbagnale Gianluca Farina Piero Poli Davide Tizzano	Rowing	Men's quadruple sculls	25 September
Gold	Giovanni Parisi	Boxing	Featherweight	2 October
Gold	Gelindo Bordin	Athletics	Men's marathon	2 October
Silver	Carlo Massullo	Modern pentathlon	Men's individual	22 September
Silver	Daniele Masala Carlo Massullo Gianluca Tiberti	Modern pentathlon	Men's team	22 September
Silver	Salvatore Antibo	Athletics	Men's 10,000 metres	26 September
Silver	Francesca Bortolozzi Annapia Gandolfi Lucia Traversa Dorina Vaccaroni Margherita Zalaffi	Fencing	Women's team foil	28 September
Bronze	Stefano Battistelli	Swimming	Men's 400 metre individual medley	21 September
Bronze	Giovanni Scalzo	Fencing	Men's sabre	23 September
Bronze	Maurizio Damilano	Athletics	Men's 20 kilometres walk	23 September
Bronze	Massimo Cavaliere Gianfranco Dalla Barba Marco Marin Ferdinando Meglio Giovanni Scalzo	Fencing	Men's team sabre	29 September

Competitors

The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.^[2]

Archery

Giancarlo Ferrari, competing in his fifth Olympic archery contest, dropped to 33rd place in the field. Fellow veteran Ilario Di Buò advanced to the quarterfinal, nearly missing a semifinal berth. The Italians also just missed the cutoff for the final by one ranking in the team round.

Men's Individual Competition:

• Ilario Di Buò – Quarterfinal (→ 13th place)
• Andrea Parenti – Preliminary Round (→ 28th place)
• Giancarlo Ferrari – Preliminary Round (→ 33rd place)

Men's Team Competition:

• Di Buo, Parenti, and Ferrari – Semifinal (→ 9th place)

Athletics

Men's 10,000 metres

• Salvatore Antibo

• First Round — 28:09.35
• Final — 27:23.55 (→ Silver Medal)

• Alberto Cova

• First Round — 28:43.84 (→ did not advance)

Men's Marathon

• Gelindo Bordin

• Final — 2"10:32 (→ Gold Medal)

• Orlando Pizzolato

• Final — 2"15:20 (→ 16th place)

• Gianni Poli

• Final — 2"16:07 (→ 19th place)

Men's 3,000 m Steeplechase

• Alessandro Lambruschini

1. Heat — 8:32.59
2. Semi Final — 8:16.92
3. Final — 8:12.17 (→ 4th place)

• Francesco Panetta

• Heat — 8:29.75
• Semi Final — 8:17.23
• Final — 8:17.79 (→ 9th place)

Men's Hammer Throw

• Lucio Serrani

• Qualifying Heat — 70.50m (→ did not advance)

Men's Shot Put

• Alessandro Andrei

• Qualifying Heat – 20.18m
• Final – 20.36m (→ 7th place)

Men's Long Jump

• Giovanni Evangelisti

• Qualification — 7.81m
• Final — 8.08m (→ 4th place)

Men's 20 km Walk

• Maurizio Damilano

• Final — 1:20:14 (→ Bronze Medal)

• Giovanni De Benedictis

• Final — 1:20:14 (→ 6th place)

• Carlo Mattioli

• Final — 1:22:58 (→ 19th place)

Men's 50 km Walk

• Raffaello Ducceschi

• Final — 3'45:43 (→ 8th place)

• Giovanni Perricelli

• Final — 3'47:14 (→ 11th place)

• Sandro Bellucci

• Final — 4'04:56 (→ 32nd place)

Women's Marathon

• Laura Fogli

• Final — 2"27.49 (→ 6th place)

• Maria Curatolo

• Final — 2"30.14 (→ 8th place)

• Antonella Bizioli

• Final — 2"34.38 (→ 23rd place)

Boxing

Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg)

• Andrea Mannai

• First Round — Lost to Arthur Johnson (USA), 0:5

Men's Featherweight

• Giovanni Parisi

Men's Lightweight

• Giorgio Campanella

Men's Light-Middleweight

• Vincenzo Nardiello

Men's Middleweight

• Michele Mastrodonato

Men's Light-Heavyweight

• Andrea Magi

Men's Heavyweight

• Luigi Gaudiano

Canoeing

Cycling

Eighteen cyclists, fourteen men and four women, represented Italy in 1988.

Men's road race

• Roberto Pelliconi
• Fabrizio Bontempi
• Gianluca Bortolami

Men's team time trial

• Roberto Maggioni
• Eros Poli
• Mario Scirea
• Flavio Vanzella

Men's sprint

• Andrea Faccini

Men's individual pursuit

• Ivan Beltrami

Men's team pursuit

• Ivan Beltrami
• Gianpaolo Grisandi
• David Solari
• Fabrizio Trezzi
• Fabio Baldato

Men's points race

• Giovanni Lombardi

Women's road race

• Imelda Chiappa — 2:00:52 (→ 15th place)
• Maria Canins — 2:00:52 (→ 32nd place)
• Roberta Bonanomi — 2:00:52 (→ 45th place)

Women's sprint

• Elisabetta Fanton

Diving

Equestrian

Fencing

20 fencers, 15 men and 5 women, represented Italy in 1988.

Men's foil

• Stefano Cerioni
• Mauro Numa
• Andrea Borella

Men's team foil

• Andrea Borella, Stefano Cerioni, Federico Cervi, Andrea Cipressa, Mauro Numa

Men's épée

• Sandro Cuomo
• Stefano Pantano
• Angelo Mazzoni

Men's team épée

• Stefano Bellone, Andrea Bermond Des Ambrois, Sandro Cuomo, Angelo Mazzoni, Stefano Pantano

Men's sabre

• Giovanni Scalzo
• Gianfranco Dalla Barba
• Marco Marin

Men's team sabre

• Giovanni Scalzo, Marco Marin, Gianfranco Dalla Barba, Ferdinando Meglio, Massimo Cavaliere

Women's foil

• Margherita Zalaffi
• Dorina Vaccaroni
• Annapia Gandolfi

Women's team foil

• Dorina Vaccaroni, Margherita Zalaffi, Francesca Bortolozzi-Borella, Lucia Traversa, Annapia Gandolfi

Football

Men's Team Competition

• Preliminary round (group B)

• Defeated Guatemala (5-2)
• Lost to Zambia (0-4)
• Defeated Iraq (2-0)

• Quarterfinals

• Defeated Sweden (2-1)

• Semifinals

• Lost to Soviet Union (2-3)

• Bronze Medal Match

• Lost to West Germany (0-3)

• Team roster

Gymnastics

Judo

Modern pentathlon

Three male pentathletes represented Italy in 1988. Carlo Massullo won an individual silver and the team won silver too.

Men's Individual Competition:

• Carlo Massullo – 5379 pts (→ Silver Medal)
• Daniele Masala – 5152 pts (→ 10th place)
• Gianluca Tiberti – 5040 pts (→ 17th place)

Men's Team Competition:

• Massullo, Masala, and Tiberti – 15571pts (→ Silver Medal)

Rhythmic gymnastics

Rowing

Sailing

Shooting

Swimming

Men's 100 m Freestyle

• Roberto Gleria

• Heat – 50.97 (→ did not advance, 18th place)

Men's 200 m Freestyle

• Roberto Gleria

• Heat – 1:49.51
• B-Final – 1:49.28 (→ 9th place)

• Giorgio Lamberti

• Heat – 1:50.47
• B-Final – scratched (→ did not advance, no ranking)

Men's 400 m Freestyle

• Giorgio Lamberti

• Heat – 3:53.29
• B-Final – scratched (→ did not advance, no ranking)

• Roberto Gleria

• Heat – 3:56.33 (→ did not advance, 19th place)

Men's 1500 m Freestyle

• Luca Pellegrini

• Heat – 15:18.80 (→ did not advance, 10th place)

• Stefano Battistelli

• Heat – 15:36.54 (→ did not advance, 20th place)

Men's 100 m Backstroke

• Valerio Giambalvo

• Heat – 59.48 (→ did not advance, 37th place)

Men's 200 m Backstroke

• Stefano Battistelli

• Heat – 2:03.63
• B-Final – scratched (→ did not advance, no ranking)

Men's 100 m Breaststroke

• Gianni Minervini

• Heat – 1:02.86
• Final – 1:02.93 (→ 7th place)

Men's 100 m Butterfly

• Leonardo Michelotti

• Heat – 55.83 (→ did not advance, 22nd place)

• Valerio Giambalvo

• Heat – 56.57 (→ did not advance, 28th place)

Men's 200 m Individual Medley

• Luca Sacchi

• Heat – 2:05.45
• B-Final – 2:05.68 (→ 13th place)

• Roberto Cassio

• Heat – 2:05.88 (→ did not advance, 18th place)

Men's 400 m Individual Medley

• Stefano Battistelli

• Heat – 4:20.43
• Final – 4:18.01 (→ Bronze Medal)

• Luca Sacchi

• Heat – 4:23.37
• Final – 4:23.23 (→ 7th place)

Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay

• Fabrizio Rampazzo, Giorgio Lamberti, Andrea Ceccarini, and Roberto Gleria

• Heat – 3:23.35

• Roberto Gleria, Giorgio Lamberti, Fabrizio Rampazzo, and Andrea Ceccarini

• Final – 3:22.93 (→ 8th place)

Men's 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay

• Massimo Trevisan, Fabrizio Rampazzo, Valerio Giambalvo, and Roberto Gleria

• Heat – 7:21.85

• Roberto Gleria, Giorgio Lamberti, Massimo Trevisan, and Valerio Giambalvo

• Final – 7:16.00 (→ 5th place)

Men's 4 × 100 m Medley Relay

• Valerio Giambalvo, Gianni Minervini, Leonardo Michelotti, and Roberto Gleria

• Heat – 3:52.06 (→ did not advance, 15th place)

Women's 100 m Freestyle

• Silvia Persi

• Heat – 58.22 (→ did not advance, 29th place)

Women's 200 m Freestyle

• Silvia Persi

• Heat – 2:04.40 (→ did not advance, 23rd place)

Women's 400 m Freestyle

• Manuela Melchiorri

• Heat – 4:15.40
• B-Final – 4:14.90 (→ 14th place)

Women's 800 m Freestyle

• Manuela Melchiorri

• Heat – 8:40.63 (→ did not advance, 12th place)

Women's 100 m Backstroke

• Lorenza Vigarani

• Heat – 1:03.96
• B-Final – 1:03.88 (→ 13th place)

• Manuela Carosi

• Heat – 1:04.69
• B-Final – 1:03.80 (→ 11th place)

Women's 200 m Backstroke

• Lorenza Vigarani

• Heat – 2:17.35
• B-Final – 2:18.69 (→ 13th place)

Women's 100 m Breaststroke

• Manuela Dalla Valle

• Heat – 1:11.25
• B-Final – 1:10.95 (→ 12th place)

Women's 200 m Breaststroke

• Manuela Dalla Valle

• Heat – 2:30.60
• Final – 2:29.86 (→ 8th place)

• Annalisa Nisiro

• Heat – 2:32.77
• B-Final – 2:31.19 (→ 12th place)

Women's 100 m Butterfly

• Ilaria Tocchini

• Heat – 1:02.07
• B-Final – 1:02.78 (→ 16th place)

• Emanuela Viola

• Heat – 1:03.91 (→ did not advance, 24th place)

Women's 200 m Individual Medley

• Roberta Felotti

• Heat – 2:19.62
• B-Final – 2:19.63 (→ 13th place)

• Manuela Dalla Valle

• Heat – 2:22.85 (→ did not advance, 25th place)

Women's 400 m Individual Medley

• Roberta Felotti

• Heat – 4:49.20
• B-Final – 4:49.53 (→ 9th place)

Women's 4 × 100 m Medley Relay

• Lorenza Vigarani, Manuela Dalla Valle, Ilara Tocchini, and Silvia Persi

• Heat – 4:14.68
• Final – 4:13.85 (→ 8th place)

Table tennis

Tennis

Men's Singles Competition

• Paolo Canè

• First round — Defeated Milan Šrejber (Czechoslovakia) 6-3 7-6 4-6 6-3
• Second round — Defeated Emilio Sánchez (Spain) 7-5 6-3 6-7 6-4
• Third round — Defeated Javier Sánchez (Spain) 7-6 4-6 6-1 6-2
• Quarterfinals — Lost to Stefan Edberg (Sweden) 1-6 5-7 4-6

• Diego Nargiso

• First round — Defeated Francisco Maciel (Mexico) 4-6 2-6 7-6 7-6 8-6
• Second round — Lost to Tim Mayotte (United States) 6-2 2-6 4-6 0-6

• Omar Camporese

• First round — Lost to Guy Forget (France) 2-6 0-6 3-6

Women's Singles Competition

• Sandra Cecchini

• First Round – Bye
• Second Round – Lost to Chris Evert (USA) 2-6 2-6

• Raffaella Reggi

• First Round – Defeated Liz Smylie (Australia) 7-6 6-0
• Second Round – Defeated Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (West Germany) 4-6 7-6 6-3
• Third Round – Defeated Chris Evert (USA) 2-6 6-4 6-1
• Quarterfinals – Lost to Manuela Maleeva (Switzerland) 3-6 4-6

Volleyball

Men's team competition

• Preliminary round (group A)

• Lost to Brazil (0-3)
• Lost to Bulgaria (0-3)
• Defeated Sweden (3-2)
• Lost to Soviet Union (1-3)
• Defeated South Korea (3-0)

• Classification Matches

• 9th/12th place: Defeated Tunisia (3-0)
• 9th/10th place: Defeated Japan (3-2) → Ninth place

• Team roster

• Andrea Gardini
• Andrea Giani
• Pierpaolo Lucchetta
• Ferdinando De Giorgi
• Marco Bracci
• Claudio Galli
• Lorenzo Bernardi
• Alessandro Lazzeroni
• Massimo Castagna
• Andrea Zorzi
• Luca Cantagalli
• Andrea Lucchetta

• Head coach: Carmelo Pittera

Water polo

Men's Team Competition

• Preliminary round (group A)

• Drew with Soviet Union (9-9)
• Defeated South Korea (1-11)
• Defeated Australia (7-5)
• Lost to West Germany (7-10)
• Defeated France (14-8)

• Classification Round (Group D)

• Drew with Hungary (9-9)
• Lost to Spain (9-11) → 7th place

• Team roster

• Paolo Trapanese
• Alfio Misaggi
• Andrea Pisano
• Antonello Steardo
• Alessandro Campagna
• Paolo Caldarella
• Mario Fiorillo
• Francesco Porzio
• Stefano Postiglione
• Riccardo Tempestini
• Massimiliano Ferretti
• Marco d'Altrui
• Gianni Averaimo

• Head coach: Fritz Dennerlein

Weightlifting

Wrestling