Country represented Italy Name Susanna Driano | Role Olympic athlete Height 1.65 m | |
Born May 28, 1957 (age 66) ( 1957-05-28 ) | ||
Susanna Driano (born May 28, 1957) is an Italian former competitive figure skater. She is the 1978 World bronze medalist, a two-time European bronze medalist (1976, 1980), and a six-time Italian national champion (1975–80).
Contents
Personal life
Driano was born on May 28, 1957 in Seattle, Washington, to a Canadian-born mother and Italian father.
Career
Driano competed internationally for Italy. In the 1974–75 season, she won the first of her six consecutive Italian national titles and was sent to her first ISU Championships; she finished sixth at the 1975 Europeans and ninth at the 1975 Worlds.
At the start of the following season, Driano was awarded the gold medal at the 1975 Skate Canada International. She placed fifth at the 1976 Europeans in Geneva, Switzerland; 7th at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria; and tenth at the 1976 Worlds in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Driano won the bronze medal behind Anett Pötzsch and Dagmar Lurz at the 1977 European Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Her next major international medal came the following season. At the 1978 World Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, she ranked fourth in figures, sixth in the short program, and sixth in the free program. She won the bronze medal behind Pötzsch and Linda Fratianne.
Driano was awarded bronze at the 1980 European Championships in Gothenburg, behind Pötzsch and Lurz. She placed 6th in figures, 14th in the short, 10th in the free, and 8th overall at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. She withdrew from the 1980 World Championships and stopped competing but never turned professional. Making a brief return to competition, she placed fourth at the 1985 Winter Universiade in Belluno, Italy.
Driano was coached by Carlo Fassi.