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He was a Member of the European Parliament in Brussels from 1999 to 2004.

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Mennea has been professor of European Legislation of motor and sports activities at the University "Gabriele D'Annunzio" in Chieti for the Faculty of Motor Education Sciences.

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Three times Italian champion in the 100 meters and eleven times Italian champion in the 200 meters, Mennea had the honor, in March of 2012, to be dedicated a London Underground station, on the occasion of the London Olympic Games.

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Mennea reconsidered his retirement again, and at the age of 36 he returns to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The result, however, was not the best, because the Italian athlete has retired despite having passed the first round of qualifying. Mennea, in any case, had the honor of carrying the Italian flag as blue bishop during the opening ceremony.

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He participated in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 where he became the first athlete in the world to play four consecutive finals of the 200 meters at the Olympics. After finishing the race in seventh place, the runner decided to retire from competitions at the end of the season.

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Mennea also participated in the World Cup in Helsinki, of course, as a source of silver medals in the 4x100 relay and bronze in the 200 meters.

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On March 22 1983, Mennea set an unbeaten world record: it's the 150 meters, run on the Cassino track in 14 seconds and 8 tenths. A record even Usain Bolt couldn’t beat.

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In 1980, at the Moscow Olympics, Mennea got the first place in the 200 meters. By now Mennea has become the Arrow of the South (Freccia del Sud). However, in 1981, he announced his retirement, motivated by the intention to devote himself to study.
Mennea changed his mind soon, in fact, the following year, he participated in the Europeans as a relay runner in the 4x100 blue that he closed with the fourth place.

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In 1979 Mennea participated in the Universiadi held in Mexico City: on this occasion he runs the 200 meters in 19 seconds and 72 cents, which means world record that will last for 17 years until Michael Johnson beat him in 1996.

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In 1978, he won the 200 meters at the European Championships in Prague and he also won the half distance. In the same year he won for the first time the 400 meters at the European Indoor.

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His career took off when, at the European Championships in Rome in 1974, he won the silver medal in the 100 meters and the gold one in the 200 meters.

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The following year, in 1972, Mennea participated in the Munich Olympics, finishing third in the 200 meters.

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Pietro Mennea was born in Barletta in 1952.
He studied accounting but since his youth, he has shown to be predisposed for athletics.
He made his debut at the European Championships winning third place at only nineteen years.
He died in Rome due to an incurable disease on March 21 2013, at the age of 60.