Background
Sara Simeoni was born in Rivoli Veronese, in the province of Verona.
athletics competitor high jumper
Sara Simeoni was born in Rivoli Veronese, in the province of Verona.
She soon took up athletics, specialising in the high jump. Her first international result was at the 1971 European Championships in Helsinki, where she ended 9th with a 178 cm jump. In August 1978, she set the new world record with 2.01 m in Brescia (this jump stood as a national record until Antonietta Di Martino jumped 202 in June 2007).
Later in the same month she equalled it at Prague while winning the European title.
In 1980, Simeoni set a new Olympic record of 1.97 m, when winning gold in Moscow. Simeoni struggled to regain her form in the following years, with a series of tendon injuries.
At 1984 Olympics, Simeoni carried the Italian flag at the opening ceremony in Los Los Angeles Here, she cemented her reputation as one of the greatest female high jumpers ever, in a thrilling duel with German Ulrike Meyfarth.
Simeoni managed to reach the 2 meters measure for the first time since 1978.
Simeoni"s other titles include two bronze medals at the European Championships and 25 national titles. Her jump of 2.01 m was the Italian record for women for 29 years. On 8 June 2007, Antonietta Di Martino jumped 2.02 m, establishing the new Italian record for women.
Sara Simeoni is widely considered one of the best Italian female athletes ever.
Their son Roberto Azzaro is also a high jumper. 14 wins in high jump at the Italian Athletics Championships (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985)
10 wins in high jump at the Italian Indoor Athletics Championships (1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1986).