Italy competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. 253 competitors, 212 men and 41 women, took part in 140 events in 23 sports.
Gelindo Bordin — Athletics, Men's MarathonGiovanni Parisi — Boxing, Men's FeatherweightStefano Cerioni — Fencing, Men's Foil Individual CompetitionVincenzo Maenza — Wrestling, Men's Greco-Roman Light FlyweightCarmine Abbagnale, Giuseppe Abbagnale and Giuseppe Di Capua — Rowing, Men's Coxed PairsAgostino Abbagnale, Davide Tizzano, Piero Poli and Gianluca Farina — Rowing, Men's Quadruple ScullsCarlo Massullo — Modern Pentathlon, Individual CompetitionCarlo Massullo, Daniele Masala and Gianluca Tiberti — Modern Pentathlon, Team CompetitionSalvatore Antibo — Athletics, Men's 10.000 metresFrancesca Bortolozzi-Borella, Dorina Vaccaroni, Margherita Zalaffi, Annapia Gandolfi and Lucia Traversa — Fencing, Women's Foil Team CompetitionMaurizio Damilano — Athletics, Men's 20 km WalkGiovanni Scalzo — Fencing, Men's Sabre Individual CompetitionStefano Battistelli — Swimming, Men's 400 metres Individual MedleyGianfranco Dalla Barba, Marco Marin, Ferdinando Meglio, Giovanni Scalzo and Massimo Cavaliere — Fencing, Men's Sabre Team CompetitionGiancarlo Ferrari, competing in his fifth Olympic archery contest, dropped to 33rd place in the field. Fellow veteran Ilario Di Buò advanced to the quarterfinal, nearly missing a semifinal berth. The Italians also just missed the cutoff for the final by one ranking in the team round.
Men's Individual Competition:
Ilario Di Buò – Quarterfinal (→ 13th place)Andrea Parenti – Preliminary Round (→ 28th place)Giancarlo Ferrari – Preliminary Round (→ 33rd place)Men's Team Competition:
Di Buo, Parenti, and Ferrari – Semifinal (→ 9th place)Men's 10,000 metres
Salvatore AntiboFirst Round — 28:09.35Final — 27:23.55 (→ Silver Medal)Alberto CovaFirst Round — 28:43.84 (→ did not advance)Men's Marathon
Gelindo BordinFinal — 2"10:32 (→ Gold Medal)Orlando PizzolatoFinal — 2"15:20 (→ 16th place)Gianni PoliFinal — 2"16:07 (→ 19th place)Men's 3,000 m Steeplechase
Alessandro Lambruschini- Heat — 8:32.59
- Semi Final — 8:16.92
- Final — 8:12.17 (→ 4th place)
Francesco PanettaHeat — 8:29.75Semi Final — 8:17.23Final — 8:17.79 (→ 9th place)Men's Hammer Throw
Lucio SerraniQualifying Heat — 70.50m (→ did not advance)Men's Shot Put
Alessandro AndreiQualifying Heat – 20.18mFinal – 20.36m (→ 7th place)Men's Long Jump
Giovanni EvangelistiQualification — 7.81mFinal — 8.08m (→ 4th place)Men's 20 km Walk
Maurizio DamilanoFinal — 1:20:14 (→ Bronze Medal)Giovanni De BenedictisFinal — 1:20:14 (→ 6th place)Carlo MattioliFinal — 1:22:58 (→ 19th place)Men's 50 km Walk
Raffaello DucceschiFinal — 3'45:43 (→ 8th place)Giovanni PerricelliFinal — 3'47:14 (→ 11th place)Sandro BellucciFinal — 4'04:56 (→ 32nd place)
Women's Marathon
Laura FogliFinal — 2"27.49 (→ 6th place)Maria CuratoloFinal — 2"30.14 (→ 8th place)Antonella BizioliFinal — 2"34.38 (→ 23rd place)Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg)
Andrea MannaiFirst Round — Lost to Arthur Johnson (USA), 0:5Men's Featherweight
Giovanni ParisiMen's Lightweight
Giorgio CampanellaMen's Light-Middleweight
Vincenzo NardielloMen's Middleweight
Michele MastrodonatoMen's Light-Heavyweight
Andrea MagiMen's Heavyweight
Luigi GaudianoEighteen cyclists, fourteen men and four women, represented Italy in 1988.
Men's road raceRoberto PelliconiFabrizio BontempiGianluca BortolamiMen's team time trialRoberto MaggioniEros PoliMario ScireaFlavio VanzellaMen's sprintAndrea FacciniMen's individual pursuitIvan BeltramiMen's team pursuitIvan BeltramiGianpaolo GrisandiDavid SolariFabrizio TrezziFabio BaldatoMen's points raceGiovanni LombardiWomen's road raceImelda Chiappa — 2:00:52 (→ 15th place)Maria Canins — 2:00:52 (→ 32nd place)Roberta Bonanomi — 2:00:52 (→ 45th place)Women's sprintElisabetta Fanton20 fencers, 15 men and 5 women, represented Italy in 1988.
Men's foilStefano CerioniMauro NumaAndrea BorellaMen's team foilAndrea Borella, Stefano Cerioni, Federico Cervi, Andrea Cipressa, Mauro NumaMen's épéeSandro CuomoStefano PantanoAngelo MazzoniMen's team épéeStefano Bellone, Andrea Bermond Des Ambrois, Sandro Cuomo, Angelo Mazzoni, Stefano PantanoMen's sabreGiovanni ScalzoGianfranco Dalla BarbaMarco MarinMen's team sabreGiovanni Scalzo, Marco Marin, Gianfranco Dalla Barba, Ferdinando Meglio, Massimo CavaliereWomen's foilMargherita ZalaffiDorina VaccaroniAnnapia GandolfiWomen's team foilDorina Vaccaroni, Margherita Zalaffi, Francesca Bortolozzi-Borella, Lucia Traversa, Annapia GandolfiMen's Team Competition
Preliminary Round (Group B)Defeated Guatemala (5-2)Lost to Zambia (0-4)Defeated Iraq (2-0)QuarterfinalsDefeated Sweden (2-1)SemifinalsLost to Soviet Union (2-3)Bronze Medal MatchLost to West Germany (0-3)Team RosterThree male pentathletes represented Italy in 1988. Carlo Massullo won an individual silver and the team won silver too.
Men's Individual Competition:
Carlo Massullo – 5379 pts (→ Silver Medal)Daniele Masala – 5152 pts (→ 10th place)Gianluca Tiberti – 5040 pts (→ 17th place)Men's Team Competition:
Massullo, Masala, and Tiberti – 15571pts (→ Silver Medal)Men's 100 m Freestyle
Roberto GleriaHeat – 50.97 (→ did not advance, 18th place)Men's 200 m Freestyle
Roberto GleriaHeat – 1:49.51B-Final – 1:49.28 (→ 9th place)Giorgio LambertiHeat – 1:50.47B-Final – scratched (→ did not advance, no ranking)Men's 400 m Freestyle
Giorgio LambertiHeat – 3:53.29B-Final – scratched (→ did not advance, no ranking)Roberto GleriaHeat – 3:56.33 (→ did not advance, 19th place)Men's 1500 m Freestyle
Luca PellegriniHeat – 15:18.80 (→ did not advance, 10th place)Stefano BattistelliHeat – 15:36.54 (→ did not advance, 20th place)Men's 100 m Backstroke
Valerio GiambalvoHeat – 59.48 (→ did not advance, 37th place)Men's 200 m Backstroke
Stefano BattistelliHeat – 2:03.63B-Final – scratched (→ did not advance, no ranking)Men's 100 m Breaststroke
Gianni MinerviniHeat – 1:02.86Final – 1:02.93 (→ 7th place)Men's 100 m Butterfly
Leonardo MichelottiHeat – 55.83 (→ did not advance, 22nd place)Valerio GiambalvoHeat – 56.57 (→ did not advance, 28th place)Men's 200 m Individual Medley
Luca SacchiHeat – 2:05.45B-Final – 2:05.68 (→ 13th place)Roberto CassioHeat – 2:05.88 (→ did not advance, 18th place)Men's 400 m Individual Medley
Stefano BattistelliHeat – 4:20.43Final – 4:18.01 (→ Bronze Medal)Luca SacchiHeat – 4:23.37Final – 4:23.23 (→ 7th place)Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay
Fabrizio Rampazzo, Giorgio Lamberti, Andrea Ceccarini, and Roberto GleriaHeat – 3:23.35Roberto Gleria, Giorgio Lamberti, Fabrizio Rampazzo, and Andrea CeccariniFinal – 3:22.93 (→ 8th place)Men's 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay
Massimo Trevisan, Fabrizio Rampazzo, Valerio Giambalvo, and Roberto GleriaHeat – 7:21.85Roberto Gleria, Giorgio Lamberti, Massimo Trevisan, and Valerio GiambalvoFinal – 7:16.00 (→ 5th place)Men's 4 × 100 m Medley Relay
Valerio Giambalvo, Gianni Minervini, Leonardo Michelotti, and Roberto GleriaHeat – 3:52.06 (→ did not advance, 15th place)
Women's 100 m Freestyle
Silvia PersiHeat – 58.22 (→ did not advance, 29th place)Women's 200 m Freestyle
Silvia PersiHeat – 2:04.40 (→ did not advance, 23rd place)Women's 400 m Freestyle
Manuela MelchiorriHeat – 4:15.40B-Final – 4:14.90 (→ 14th place)Women's 800 m Freestyle
Manuela MelchiorriHeat – 8:40.63 (→ did not advance, 12th place)Women's 100 m Backstroke
Lorenza VigaraniHeat – 1:03.96B-Final – 1:03.88 (→ 13th place)Manuela CarosiHeat – 1:04.69B-Final – 1:03.80 (→ 11th place)Women's 200 m Backstroke
Lorenza VigaraniHeat – 2:17.35B-Final – 2:18.69 (→ 13th place)Women's 100 m Breaststroke
Manuela Dalla ValleHeat – 1:11.25B-Final – 1:10.95 (→ 12th place)Women's 200 m Breaststroke
Manuela Dalla ValleHeat – 2:30.60Final – 2:29.86 (→ 8th place)Annalisa NisiroHeat – 2:32.77B-Final – 2:31.19 (→ 12th place)Women's 100 m Butterfly
Ilaria TocchiniHeat – 1:02.07B-Final – 1:02.78 (→ 16th place)Emanuela ViolaHeat – 1:03.91 (→ did not advance, 24th place)Women's 200 m Individual Medley
Roberta FelottiHeat – 2:19.62B-Final – 2:19.63 (→ 13th place)Manuela Dalla ValleHeat – 2:22.85 (→ did not advance, 25th place)Women's 400 m Individual Medley
Roberta FelottiHeat – 4:49.20B-Final – 4:49.53 (→ 9th place)Women's 4 × 100 m Medley Relay
Lorenza Vigarani, Manuela Dalla Valle, Ilara Tocchini, and Silvia PersiHeat – 4:14.68Final – 4:13.85 (→ 8th place)Men's Singles Competition
Paolo CanèFirst round — Defeated Milan Šrejber (Czechoslovakia) 6-3 7-6 4-6 6-3Second round — Defeated Emilio Sánchez (Spain) 7-5 6-3 6-7 6-4Third round — Defeated Javier Sánchez (Spain) 7-6 4-6 6-1 6-2Quarterfinals — Lost to Stefan Edberg (Sweden) 1-6 5-7 4-6Diego NargisoFirst round — Defeated Francisco Maciel (Mexico) 4-6 2-6 7-6 7-6 8-6Second round — Lost to Tim Mayotte (United States) 6-2 2-6 4-6 0-6Omar CamporeseFirst round — Lost to Guy Forget (France) 2-6 0-6 3-6
Women's Singles Competition
Sandra CecchiniFirst Round – ByeSecond Round – Lost to Chris Evert (USA) 2-6 2-6Raffaella ReggiFirst Round – Defeated Liz Smylie (Australia) 7-6 6-0Second Round – Defeated Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (West Germany) 4-6 7-6 6-3Third Round – Defeated Chris Evert (USA) 2-6 6-4 6-1Quarterfinals – Lost to Manuela Maleeva (Switzerland) 3-6 4-6Preliminary Round (Group A)Lost to Brazil (0-3)Lost to Bulgaria (0-3)Defeated Sweden (3-2)Lost to Soviet Union (1-3)Defeated South Korea (3-0)Classification Matches9th/12th place: Defeated Tunisia (3-0)9th/10th place: Defeated Japan (3-2) → Ninth placeTeam RosterAndrea GardiniAndrea GianiPierpaolo LucchettaFerdinando De GiorgiMarco BracciClaudio GalliLorenzo BernardiAlessandro LazzeroniMassimo CastagnaAndrea ZorziLuca CantagalliAndrea LucchettaHead Coach: Carmelo PitteraMen's Team Competition
Preliminary Round (Group A)Drew with Soviet Union (9-9)Defeated South Korea (1-11)Defeated Australia (7-5)Lost to West Germany (7-10)Defeated France (14-8)Classification Round (Group D)Drew with Hungary (9-9)Lost to Spain (9-11) → 7th placeTeam RosterPaolo TrapaneseAlfio MisaggiAndrea PisanoAntonello SteardoAlessandro CampagnaPaolo CaldarellaMario FiorilloFrancesco PorzioStefano PostiglioneRiccardo TempestiniMassimiliano FerrettiMarco d'AltruiGianni AveraimoHead Coach: Fritz Dennerlein 