Alex Schwazer facts for kids
Schwazer in 2008
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Quick facts for kids Personal information |
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| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 December 1984 Sterzing, Italy |
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| Height | 1.85 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 73 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  Italy |
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| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Racewalking | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | C.S. Carabinieri | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Alex Schwazer (born 26 December 1984) is an Italian race walker. He won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 50 km walk event.
Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, he was banned from competing for two years. This happened because he failed a doping test. Alex admitted his mistake and said he would stop competing.
Later, he decided to start training again. He worked with Sandro Donati, who is known for fighting against doping in sports. Their goal was to show that athletes can win fairly. Alex qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, he was found positive for doping again and received an eight-year ban. Alex has always said he is innocent in this second case. He has been fighting this ban in court. An Italian court later said he was not guilty of the crime. But the ban from sports still remains.
About Alex Schwazer
Alex Schwazer was born in Sterzing, a town in northern Italy. He became a very successful race walker.
In 2005, he won a bronze medal in the 50 km race at the World Championships. He set a new national record for Italy. Two years later, in 2007, he won another bronze medal in the 50 km race at the World Championships.
His biggest win came at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He won the gold medal in the 50 km walk. He also set a new Olympic record with his amazing time.
In 2010, Alex continued to do well. He won two races in the 2010 IAAF World Race Walking Challenge. He even set a new Italian record for the 20 km walk. At the 2010 European Athletics Championships, he won a silver medal in the 20 km walk.
He started 2012 strongly, setting another Italian record in the 20 km walk. He also had one of his best times ever in the 50 km walk.
Doping Cases and Challenges
Alex Schwazer faced challenges in his career due to doping tests.
In 2012, he was not allowed to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. This was because a doping test showed a positive result. Alex admitted he had made a mistake. He said his career was over at that time. He was later banned from competing for three and a half years.
In 2016, another doping test from January was found to be positive. This happened just a few weeks before the 2016 Summer Olympics. Alex appealed this decision. However, a sports court banned him for eight years. This ban means he cannot compete until 2024.
Alex has always said he is innocent in the 2016 case. An Italian court looked into the matter. In 2021, the court found him not guilty of the crime. The court even suggested that there might have been issues with the doping samples. However, the sports ban from the WADA still stands. This meant he could not take part in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Media Appearances
In 2023, a four-part TV series about Alex Schwazer's doping controversy was released on Netflix.
In September 2023, he also started participating in Grande Fratello. This is the Italian version of the TV show Big Brother.
See also
In Spanish: Alex Schwazer para niños
- Italian records in athletics
- Italian all-time lists: 20 km walk
- Italian all-time lists: 50 km walk
