Eseosa Fostine "Fausto" Desalu (; born 19 February 1994) is an Italian sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres. He is the second-fastest Italian ever in the distance behind only Pietro Mennea, with a personal best of 20.08 seconds.

He was part of the 4 × 100 m relay team that won gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Biography Born in Casalmaggiore, Italy, to Nigerian parents, Desalu acquired Italian citizenship in 2012, aged 18.

He originally focused on association football in his youth. However, he began to take up track and field around 2008, initially focusing on the sprint hurdles. His speed was better than his technique and he eventually focused on the 200 m instead. He gained full Italian citizenship in 2012. A member of Gruppi Sportivi Fiamme Gialle – the sports club of Italy's fiscal police force – he made his international debut at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. However, he failed to progress beyond the heats. He also ran with the 4 × 100 metres relay team, but they were also eliminated in the heats stage.

Desalu's first international medal came at the 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships, where he was a relay bronze medallist on home turf in Rieti, running the anchor leg on a team of Giacomo Isolano, Lorenzo Bilotti and Roberto Rigali. He also managed fifth place individually in the 200 m. His first senior medal followed at the 2014 European Team Championships, where he was part of the bronze medal-winning relay quartet alongside Massimiliano Ferraro, Diego Marani, and Delmas Obou. He was selected both individually and for the relay for Italy at the 2014 European Athletics Championships. He was a semi-finalist in the 200 m, having set a best of 20.55 seconds in the heats, and was a finalist in the relay with Fabio Cerutti, Marani and Obou (although the Italians failed to finish).

Desalu had his first appearance at global senior level at the 2015 IAAF World Relays, though the regrouped European Championships team did not make it past the heats. At the 2015 Military World Games he won the 200 m gold medal, a tenth of a second ahead of runner-up Serhiy Smelyk. He came close to a second medal at the games in the relay, placing fourth with Cerutti, Obou and Matteo Galvan.

On 4 September 2020, he became the first Italian to win a 200 m race event of the Diamond League during the Memorial Van Damme in 20.39 seconds. The following year, he made history by being part of the Italian team that won the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo.

At the 2026 European Championships held in Birmingham, Desalu claimed the bronze medal in the 200 metres with a time of 20.26 seconds.

Statistics National records 4 × 100 m relay: 37.50 ( Tokyo, 6 August 2021), he ran third leg in the team with Lorenzo Patta, Marcell Jacobs, Filippo Tortu. - Current holder

Personal bests 60 metres – 6.76 seconds (2015) 100 metres – 10.21 seconds (2022) 200 metres – 20.08 seconds (2024) 110 metres hurdles – 14.20 seconds (2010) 60 metres hurdles – 7.86 seconds (2011) All information from European Athletics

For reference: split time of 4 × 100 m relay - 9.170 (third leg) (2021)

Achievements

2012World Junior ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain — (heats)200 m5th (heats)4 × 100 m relay40.412013European Junior ChampionshipsRieti, Italy5th200 m21.163rd4 × 100 m relay40.002014European Team ChampionshipsBraunschweig, Germany3rd4 × 100 m relay39.06European ChampionshipsZürich, Switzerland7th (semis)200 m20.73 —4 × 100 m relay2015IAAF World RelaysNassau, Bahamas3rd (heats)4 × 100 m relay38.84Military World GamesMungyeong, South Korea1st200 m20.644th4 × 100 m relay39.642016Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil49th (h)200 m20.652017IAAF World RelaysNassau, Bahamas –4 × 100 m relayDQ2018Mediterranean GamesTarragona, Spain2nd200 m20.771st4 × 100 m relay38.49European ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany6th200 m20.13 –4 × 100 m relayDQ2019World RelaysYokohama, Japan3rd (h)4 × 100 m relay38.291World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar21st (sf)200 m20.732021World RelaysChorzów, Poland1st4 × 100 m relay39.21Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan16th (sf)200 m20.431st4 × 100 m relay37.50 2022World ChampionshipsEugene, United States30th (h)200 m20.6310th (h)4 × 100 m relay38.74European ChampionshipsMunich, Germany13th (sf)200 m20.482023World ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary23rd (h)200 m20.492024European ChampionshipsRome, Italy5th200 m20.59Olympic GamesParis, France9th (sf)200 m20.375th (h)4 × 100 m relay38.072025World RelaysGuangzhou, China5th4 × 100 m relay38.20World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan25th (h)200 m20.4311th (h)4 × 100 m relay38.522026European ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom3rd200 m20.26 –4 × 100 m relayDQ 1Did not finish in the final

National titles Desalu won six national championships at individual senior level.

Italian Athletics Championships 100 m: 2025 (1) 200 m: 2016, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025 (5)

See also List of European records in athletics List of Italian records in athletics Italian all-time lists - 200 m Italian all-time lists - 4 × 100 m relay Italian national track relay team

References

External links

Eseosa Fostine Desalu – CONI – Paris 2024