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Carlo Galimberti (English)
Without doubts Galimberti is absolutely the most important Italian weightlifter. He discovers too late the weightlifting but he rises the world highest level peak quickly and in unstoppable way.
Between the 1924 and 1932 he wins a gold medal and two silver medals to the Olympic Games and also two second places to the European Championship of 1930 and 1931.
He establishes a lot of world records: it is suffice to remember the two arms stretching world record, during the Olympic Games of 1924 (97,500 Kg) and 1928 (105 Kg), and the two arms rush world record (127,500 Kg), during the Olympic Games of 1924.
Between 1921 and 1939 he sequentially wins also 18 national success: 13 of these in the mid category and 5 of these in the mid-maximum category, and in 1924 he wins the selections competitions for the Olympic Games which are parts of Italian Championship. "He was graceful and had a composed style, he was a perfect athlete" this sentence was written by the journalist Luigi Ferrario half ages ago.
He was born on August 2nd, 1894 in Rosario di Santa Fč in Argentina, his parents were emigrants. When he was young he enlists in Fire Fighters Corp and he attracts attention to oneself for his courage and initiative, as in the occasion of the earthquake in Vulture. He starts his superb competitive career in G.S. Fire Fighters in Milan.
In 1924, in the winter Velodrome of Paris, Italy wins three gold medals in the weightlifting with Pierino Gabetti (featherweight), with Galimberti (midweight) and with Giuseppe Tonani (maximumweight). The official report of VIII Olympic Games writes about the thirty-year-old Fire Fighter: "The magnificent Italian athlete widely defeats each rival, generating in everybody great admiration for the great energy and for the iron will which he shown". The old competitions were composed by 5 exercises: jerk and throw with one arm; stretching; jerk and throw with two arms. Galimberti wins the midweight (among 25 participants) with a total score of 492,500 Kg, to exceeding of almost 37,500 Kg the second placed Alfred Neuland from Estonia.
(the original of the Carlo Galimberti's medal to the Olympic Games of Paris `24)
Four years later, in the Olympic Games of Amsterdam, he marches in front of the "Azzurri" with the Italian Flag. It were abolished the jerk and the rush with one arm. In the three exercise with two arms, Galimberti heightens 332,500 Kg, but he was beaten by Roger Franēois from France for only 2,500 Kg.
After he was qualified second to the European Championship of 1930 in Munich and of 1931 in Luxemburg, in the Olympic Games of Los Angeles he was beaten by the great Rudolf Ismair from Germany for only 5 Kg (345 Kg against 340 Kg). He anyway contributes to the achievement of Italy (12 gold medals, 12 silver medals and 13 bronze medals) who was passed only by the USA.In November 1934, he participates to the European Championship of Genova, the first that it was played in Italy, and he grazes the podium. In 1936, in his fourth Olympic Games, he finished 7 in midweight with a total score of 332,500 Kg: not bad for an athlete who was 42 during the Olympic Games of Berlin. With 7 presences in the maximum competition of those years, Galimberti finished first for one time, second for four times and fourth for one time: a giant of weightlifting.
He wins a gold medal for Athletic Value, a medal of honour for sports merit, he was honorary member of Foundation; Galimberti given his name to Milan Sports Group, for which he competed always, winning also the first two national championships in 1934 and 1935.
To view the history of the Milan Fire Fighters Sports Group click here.