Livio Berruti (19 May 1939 – 9 August 2026) was an Italian athlete who was the winner of the 200-meter dash in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Berruti won five medals, at individual level, and three medals with the national relay team at the International athletics competitions.
Biography
Berruti was born in Turin where he attended Liceo Classico "Cavour". After high school, while pursuing a degree in chemistry, he competed in the 1960 Rome Olympics. In the semi-finals of the 200 m, spurred by the home crowd, he unexpectedly ran in 20.5 seconds, equalling the then world record for that distance. This made him a surprise outsider for the final, later that day. In that race, Berruti, who was noted for always running with black glasses and white socks, once again clocked 20.5, beating the American favourites to the gold medal.
Anchoring the Italian 4 × 100 m relay team, Berruti narrowly missed out on a second Olympic medal, finishing in 4th. His world record was not beaten until June 1962, but his performance remained a European record for a further two years, until 21 June 1964.
His Olympic victory, at the beginning of his career, would remain his best achievement. His three appearances at the European Championships only brought him a 7th place in the 1966 200 m final. He did, however, win Italian titles in both the 100 and 200 m from 1957 until 1962, and two more 200 m titles in 1965 and 1968. Berruti also made two more Olympic appearances, in 1964 and 1968. On both occasions, he reached the final of the 4 × 100 m relay, and also placed 5th in the 200 m final of 1964.
Berruti died on 9 August 2026, at the age of 87.
Olympic results Year Competition Venue Position Event Performance Note1960Olympic Games Rome1st 200 metres 20.5 = 4th 4 × 100 m relay 40.2 Time was 40.33 electronic, but the relay team ran 40.16 in the heat and 40.29 in the semi-finals.1964Olympic Games Tokyo 5th 200 metres 20.8 He ran in a better time (20.6) in the quarter-finals. 7th 4 × 100 m relay 39.51968Olympic Games Mexico City 200 metres 21.0 7th 4 × 100 m relay 39.2
National titles Berruti won 14 times the individual national championship. 6 wins in the 100 metres (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962) 8 wins in the 200 metres (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1968)
Awards On 7 May 2015, in the presence of the President of Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), Giovanni Malagò, was inaugurated in the Olympic Park of the Foro Italico in Rome, along Viale delle Olimpiadi, the Walk of Fame of Italian sport, consisting of 100 tiles that chronologically report names of the most representative athletes in the history of Italian sport. On each tile is the name of the sportsman, the sport in which he distinguished himself and the symbol of CONI. One of these tiles is dedicated to Livio Berruti.
See also Italy national relay team Men's 100 metres European record progression Men's 200 metres European record progression Men's 200 metres world record progression FIDAL Hall of Fame Legends of Italian sport - Walk of Fame
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