Tuesday,
October 17, 2006
Obit: Ondina Valla, 90, First Italian Woman to Win an Olympic Gold Medal
in 1936 in Hurdles
The
ANNOTICO Report
Ondina Valla presented a paradox in that
she competed in athletics in an era, and in a country where the Catholic
Church, medical expertise, eugenics theories and the fascist regime were all
opposed to female competitive sport.
However
She
was a national icon that also became a gender
icon.
From
Times Staff and Wire Reports
October
17, 2006
Ondina Valla, 90, the 80-meter hurdle
champion at the 1936 Summer Games and the first Italian woman to win an Olympic
gold medal, died Monday in her hometown of
Valla tied a world record when she ran the 80-meter
hurdles no longer an Olympic event in 11.6 seconds in the semifinals at the
Berlin Games. Because of a new rule against wind-aided times that was approved
during the Games, it was recognized as an Olympic record but not a world
record. Valla then won the final in 11.7 seconds in a
photo finish.
Born
Trebisonda Valla in
Biography:
Trebisonda Valla, also known as Ondina Valla (May 20, 1916- October 16, 2006)
Born at
Ondina Valla
stood out for her personality and her sports talent even as a young girl. She
rivaled with Claudia Testoni at the school
championships in their hometown - they would remain opponents for the rest of
their careers. Aged 13, Ondina Valla
was already considered one of
She was a
versatile athlete, capable of excellent results in sprint events, hurdles races
and jumps. She soon became a favorite with Italian sports fans. She was the
ideal icon of the healthy, strong national youth. Media defined her "the
sun in a smile".
Her most
important achievement was the gold medal of 80 m hurdles race at the 1936 Summer Olympics in
After those
Olympic Games Ondina Valla
was forced to limit her competitions because of back problems. However, she
still continued to compete until the early 1940s.
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ANNOTICO Reports
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