Daniele Meucci (born 7 October 1985) is an Italian athlete who specialises in long-distance running, including track running, cross country and road running who won twenty medals at international level (seventeen at senior level and three at youth level).

He represented Italy at the 2012 Summer Olympics, running in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. Meucci is a three-time medallist in the latter event at the European Athletics Championships, having won bronze in 2010 and 2016 and silver in 2012. He was also a bronze medallist at the European Cross Country Championships in 2012. He has competed at five World Championships in Athletics (2009 and 2011 in the 5000 m, 2011, 2013 and 2017 in the 10000 m and 2015 in the marathon).

Biography

Early career Born in Pisa, he began competing internationally in 2006 and was fourteen at the European Cup 10000m and improved to tenth place in the 10000 metres at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. He won a bronze medal and a team silver medal at under-23 level at that year's European Cross Country Championships, which was held in San Giorgio su Legnano. The following year he was sixth at the 2007 European Cup 10000m in Ferrara and won the 10,000 m bronze at the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships.

He represented Italy on the world stage for the first time in 2008, but he only managed 99th place in the senior race at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He had greater success at European level that year, again taking sixth in the European Cup race and finishing twelfth in the senior race at the 2008 European Cross Country Championships.

Meucci took up road running in 2009 and was fifth at the Stramilano Half Marathon with a time of 1:02:56.Sampaolo, Diego (5 April 2009). Kimugul and Kebede take Stramilano Half Marathon titles. IAAF. Retrieved 31 July 2010. He returned to the track in the summer and took on the shorter 3000 metres at the 2009 European Team Championships, winning a bronze medal. Two months later he competed on the global track stage for the first time but he did not progress out of the 5000 metres heats at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. Demonstrating his versatility over different surfaces, he was 18th at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships on the streets of Birmingham in October (recording a personal best 1:02:43) and led the Italians to the team bronze with a ninth-place finish at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships.

Prime and later years The Italian slightly improved his half marathon best with a 1:02:41 run for fifth at the 2010 Roma Ostia Half Marathon,Zorzi, Alberto (28 February 2010). Kimeli and Timbilil battle the winds to take Roma Ostia titles. IAAF. Retrieved 31 July 2010. and he ran his first full-length marathon at the Rome City Marathon soon after, where he was eleventh overall.Sampaolo, Diego (21 March 2010). Ethiopian double as Rome celebrates Bikila – Rome Marathon report. IAAF. Retrieved 31 July 2010. He won his first major medal later that year at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. In the men's 10,000 m he headed to the line after winner Mo Farah, but Chris Thompson just pipped Meucci at the line, leaving the Italian with a bronze medal.Farah finds relief at the end of a long, hard road. European Athletics (27 September 2010). Retrieved 31 July 2010.

The following year he managed only eleventh in the 3000 m at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor ChampionshipsFinal Results . 2011 European Indoors. Retrieved 10 October 2011. He was beaten to the 2011 national title in the 5000 m by Stefano La Rosa, but set a personal best in the 10,000 m as a guest at the UK Championships, completing the distance in a time of 27:44.50 minutes.2011 Italian Athletics Championships Results . FIDAL. Retrieved 10 October 2011. He represented Italy in both long-distance track events at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, coming twelfth over 10,000 m and tenth in the 5000 m. After the championships, a half marathon best (1:02:30 hours) came at the Udine Half Marathon and then he was runner-up behind Edwin Soi at the Giro al Sas 10K race.Sampaolo, Diego (10 October 2011). Kurgat clocks course record in Carpi. IAAF. Retrieved 10 October 2011. He began 2012 with a third-place finish at the Great Ireland Run.Martin, David (15 April 2012). Bekele sparkles with 27:49 10km in Dublin. IAAF. Retrieved 21 April 2012.

In April 2012 he set his new personal best on 10,000 m in Palo Alto, California, with time 27:32.86 and qualified for 2012 Olympic team. A month later he ran in the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K road race in New York and was a surprise winner in 28:28 minutes – a personal best.Loeb, Lauren (12 May 2012). Meucci takes Manhattan. IAAF. Retrieved 18 May 2012. He ran in both the 5000 m and 10,000 m at the 2012 European Athletics Championships: although he came fifth over the shorter distance, he managed a 10,000 m silver medal behind Kenyan-born Polat Kemboi Arıkan. He also doubled up at the 2012 London Olympics, where he was eliminated in the 5000 m and ranked 24th in the 10,000 m. In August he ran personal bests on the 2012 IAAF Diamond League circuit, running 7:41.74 for the 3000 m at the DN Galan and 8:28.28 minutes for the Two miles at the Birmingham Grand Prix. His season ended with two further European medals at the 2012 European Cross Country Championships, where he was the bronze medallist individually and in the team competition, alongside the race winner Andrea Lalli.

He knocked almost a minute and a half off his best at the 2013 NYC Half Marathon, coming second only to Wilson Kipsang in a time of 61:06 minutes.Battaglia, Joe (17 March 2013). Wilson Kipsang gives high octane performance at chilly NYC Half. IAAF. Retrieved 23 March 2013. At the 2014 European Championships, he finished in 6th in the 10000 m and won the men's marathon. At the 2015 World Championships, he competed in the marathon, finishing in 8th place.

In 2019, he competed in the men's marathon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar. He did not finish his race.

He finished 8th in the 2023 New York City Marathon, running 2:13:29.

Personal bests 1500 metres: 3:47.32 (2006) 3000 metres: 7:41.74 (2012) Two miles: 8:28.28 (2012) 5000 metres: 13:19.00 (2012) 10,000 metres: 27:32.86 (2012) 10 km: 28:08 (2020) - national record Half marathon: 1:01:05 (2013) Marathon: 2:10:45 (2018)

Achievements Year Competition Venue Event Position Time2005 European U23 Championships Erfurt 10,000 m 14th 30:43.412006 European 10,000m Cup Antalya 10,000 m 14th 29:09.27Team 3rd1:27:10.52European Championships Gothenburg 10,000 m 10th 28:48.30European Cross-Country Championships San Giorgio su Legnano Youth race 3rd 23:16Team 2nd 2007 European 10,000m Cup Ferrara 10,000 m 6th 28:56.70Team 2nd1:27:44-24European U23 Championships Debrecen 10,000 m3rd 29:18.262008 World Cross-Country Championships Edinburgh 12 km 99th 38:28European Cup Annecy 5000 m3rd 14: 03.04European 10,000m Cup Istanbul 10,000 m 6th 28:56.53Team 3rd1:28:36.56European Cross-Country Championships Brussels 10 km 12th 31:41 2009 European Team Championships Leiria 3000 m3rd 8:02.222009 World Championships Berlin 5000 m 13:37.79World Half Marathon Championships Birmingham half marathon 18th 62:43European Cross-Country Championships Dublin 9 km 9th 31:42Team 3rd 2010 European 10,000m Cup Marseille 10,000 m 8th 28:39.05European Team Championship Bergen 5000 m 5th 13:56.95European Championships Barcelona 10,000 m 3rd 28:27.335000 m 6th 13:40.17Continental Cup Split 3000 m 7th 7:57.98 2011 European Indoor Championships Paris 3000 m 11th 8:04.822012 European Championships Helsinki 10,000 m 2nd 28:22.73Olympic Games London 10,000 m 24th 28:57.465000 m 13:28.71European Cross-Country Championships Budapest Senior race 3rd 30:13Team 3rd 2013 European Team Championships Gateshead 3000 m 9th 8:06.46Mediterranean Games Mersin 5000 m 4th 13: 45.12World Championships Moscow 10,000 m 19th 28: 06.742014 Half Marathon World Championships Copenhagen Half marathon 27th 61:57European Championships Zurich 10,000 m 6th 28: 19.79Marathon 1st 2:11:08 2015 World Championships Beijing Marathon 8th 2:14:542016 European 10,000m Cup Mersin 10,000 m 1st 28:24.71Team 1stEuropean Championships Amsterdam Half marathon 3rd 1:02:38Team 3rd 2017 World Championships London Marathon 5th 2:10.56 2018 European Cross-Country Championships Tilburg Team 3rd2019European 10,000m Cup London 10,000 m17th 28:38.35 Team 1st1:24:25.02

National titles He won 10 national championships at senior level.

Italian Athletics Championships 5000 m: 2007, 2008 (2) 10,000 m: 2006, 2007, 2010 (3) Half marathon: 2014 (1) Italian Athletics Indoor Championships 3000 m: 2008, 2009 (2) Italian Cross Country Championships Long race: 2011, 2017 (2)

See also Italian all-time top lists - 5000 metres Italian all-time top lists - 10000 metres Italian team at the running events List of Italian records in athletics

References

External links

Daniele Meucci at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived, alternate link) Daniele Meucci – CONI – Paris 2024