Giovanni Lanaro

Youth and college

Giovanni Lanaro attended West Covina High School in California; Lanaro pole vaulted as a freshman in high school (3.51m) but suffered a back injury as well as a fractured ankle skateboarding that prevented him from vaulting the next three years. He focused on swimming and made CIF before deciding to give the vault one more try at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut, CA.

In two years at Mt. SAC, Lanaro raised his personal best from 3.51m to 5.30m breaking the college record of 5.21 meters held by Olympic Gold/Silver Medalist, Bob Seagren and Bill Halverson. Lanaro shunned recruiting offers from USC, South Carolina, Michigan State and Fresno State to attend little known Cal State Fullerton where he was a three-time NCAA All-American and raised his career best to 5.60m.

Professional career

He finished in joint fourth place at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Moscow, and won the silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. He also competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2007 World Championships, but failed to clear his opening height. At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, with 5.45 metres he failed to progress to the final.

Although he failed to qualify for the final of the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, Lanaro's 2007 campaign was a fabulous one. He jumped 5.70 meters or higher nine times, including three competitions of over 5.80 meters. Along the way he captured a host of competitions titles including the Mt. SAC Relays, Road to Eugene, Reebok Grand Prix, Nike Prefontaine Classic and Padua International Athletics Meet. At the Nike Prefontaine Classic, he jumped 5.80 meters, easily defeating the stellar field by 20 centimeters, which included all three 2004 Olympic Medalists, the U.S. record holder, the Japanese record holder and the U.S. Champion.

His personal best jump is 5.82 metres, achieved in April 2007 in Walnut. He is coached by USA Track and Field Women's Pole Vault Development/High Performance Chairperson, Brian Yokoyama and represented by Karen Locke.His brother Mr. Lanaro teaches at Arroyo High School in the city of El Monte, California.

Records Held

Mt. San Antonio College Record (5.40M), California State University at Fullerton Record (5.60M), Nishida Cup Record (Indoor 5.65M), Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, CA (5.82M), Mexican National Record (5.82M), Central American Record (5.82M) Feb. 16, 2009 equal Area Indoor Record, Stockholm, Sweden (5.71M)

Recent Work

Currently Giovanni is in negotiations with MTV on a new edgy reality TV show based on his life as a coach and the drastic turn it takes when one of his athletes moves into his home. Each week Gio and his wife will encounter new difficulties with their new roommate. No news has been released to the public on when this show will air but Gio has been quoted saying' "it's definitely in the near future."

As of February 2014, production of "Life with Lanaro" has begun and in an interview on Entertainment Tonight Gio can be found saying" it's a great laugh with some serious drama. Some people argue that the show will be scripted but all the emotions you see are raw! Sometimes I can't believe what I've gotten myself into on and off screen..." Very soon a preview will be release of the show, but as of now the audience will have to keep waiting.

MTV corporation