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Filippo Tortu
2022-08-19 European Championships 2022 – Men's 200 Metres by Sandro Halank–030 - Tortu (cropped).jpg
Tortu at the 2022 European Championships
Personal information
Born (1998-06-15) 15 June 1998 (age 27)
Milan, Italy
Height 1.87 m
Weight 75 kg
Sport
Country Italy
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 100 m, 200 m
Club G.S. Fiamme Gialle
Coached by Salvino Tortu
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • 60 m: 6.58 (2019)
  • 100 m: 9.99 (2018)
  • 200 m: 20.10 (2022)
  • 4 × 100 m relay: 37.50 (2021) NR
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Italy
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 0
World Championships 0 1 0
World Relays 1 0 0
European Championships 1 1 1
European Games 0 1 0
Mediterranean Games 1 0 0
World U20 Championships 0 1 0
European U20 Championships 1 1 0
Olympic Games
Gold 2020 Tokyo 4 × 100 m relay
World Championships
Silver 2023 Budapest 4 × 100 m relay
World Relays
Gold 2021 Chorzów 4 × 100 m relay
European Championships
Gold 2024 Rome 4 × 100 m relay
Silver 2024 Rome 200 m
Bronze 2022 Munich 200 m
European Games
Silver 2023 Kraków-Małopolska 4 × 100 m relay
Mediterranean Games
Gold 2018 Tarragona 4 × 100 m relay
World U20 Championships
Silver 2016 Bydgoszcz 100 m
European U20 Championships
Gold 2017 Grosseto 100 m
Silver 2017 Grosseto 4 × 100 m relay

Filippo Tortu (born June 15, 1998) is a super fast Italian runner, also known as a sprinter. He made history by being the first Italian to run the 100-meter dash in under 10 seconds! He is also the second fastest Italian in the 100 meters, right after Marcell Jacobs. Filippo was part of the amazing Italian team that won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 4 × 100 meter relay race. He ran the very last part of that race, called the anchor leg, helping his team win in an exciting finish.

Filippo is coached by his father, Salvino Tortu, who was also a sprinter.

About Filippo Tortu

Filippo Tortu Juegos del Mediterráneo 2018 (cropped)
Filippo Tortu at the 2018 Mediterranean Games

Filippo was born in Milan, Italy. His dad, Salvino, was a runner, and his mom is Paola. When he was eight years old, he started playing sports. He tried both track and field (running, jumping, throwing) and basketball.

In 2010 and 2011, Filippo was named the fastest runner in Milan for his age group in middle school. After that, he decided to focus only on track and field. His father became his coach. In 2013, he won the 80-meter race at the Italian championships.

In 2014, he had a tough break. He qualified for the 200-meter race at the Youth Olympics. But in a practice race, he fell and broke both of his arms! This meant he couldn't compete in the finals. Even with that setback, he kept going. In 2015, he set new Italian records for young athletes in both the 100 meters and 200 meters.

Filippo's Junior Career Highlights

In 2016, Filippo broke the Italian junior record for the 100 meters. This record had stood for 34 years! He ran it in 10.24 seconds. A month later, he won his first Italian title in the 100 meters. He also competed in the European Championships, where he set another Italian junior record. He just barely missed reaching the final. He also helped the 4 × 100 meter relay team finish 5th.

Later in 2016, he won a silver medal in the 100 meters at the World U20 Championships. He finished second to American runner Noah Lyles.

Olympic and World Success

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (which happened in 2021), Filippo competed in the men's 100 meters. He made it to the semi-finals but didn't reach the final race. However, his biggest moment came in the 4 × 100 meter relay. He ran the final part of the race. In an amazing finish, he sped past the British team by just one-hundredth of a second! This unexpected win brought Italy a historic gold medal. His part of the race was incredibly fast, taking only 8.845 seconds.

In 2024, Filippo competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics again. This time, he focused on the 200 meters and reached the semi-finals. He also ran the anchor leg for the 4 × 100 relay team, trying to defend their gold medal, but they finished in 4th place.

National Records Set by Filippo

Filippo Tortu has set some impressive national records for Italy:

  • 100 meters: 9.99 seconds (set in Madrid, Spain, on June 22, 2018). This was a former Italian record.
  • 4 × 100 meter relay: 37.50 seconds (set in Tokyo, Japan, on August 6, 2021). He ran the final part of this race with his teammates Lorenzo Patta, Marcell Jacobs, and Eseosa Desalu.

Major Achievements and Medals

Filippo Tortu has won many medals and achieved great results in his career. Here's a look at some of his top performances:

Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Notes
2014 Youth Olympic Games China Nanjing Final 200 metres DNS
2016 European Championships Netherlands Amsterdam 9th (sf) 100 metres 10.19 Sport records icon PB.svg
5th 4 × 100 m relay 38.69
World U20 Championships Poland Bydgoszcz 2nd 100 metres 10.24
7th 4 × 100 m relay 40.02
2017 IAAF World Relays The Bahamas Nassau Heat 4 × 100 m relay DQ R170.7
European U20 Championships Italy Grosseto 1st 100 metres 10.73 (–4.3)
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 39.50
World Championships United Kingdom London 17th (sf) 200 metres 20.62 w
2018 Mediterranean Games Spain Tarragona 1st 4 × 100 m relay 38.49 Sport records icon GR.svg
European Championships Germany Berlin 5th 100 metres 10.08
Heat 4 × 100 m relay DQ R170.7
2019 IAAF World Relays Japan Yokohama Final 4 × 100 m relay DNF
World Championships Qatar Doha 7th 100 metres 10.07 SB
10th (sf) 4 × 100 m relay 38.11 NR
2021 World Athletics Relays Poland Chorzów 1st 4 × 100 m relay 39.21
Olympic Games Japan Tokyo 18th (sf) 100 metres 10.16
1st 4 × 100 m relay 37.50 NR
2022 World Championships United States Eugene 9th (sf) 200 metres 20.10 Sport records icon PB.svg
10th (h) 4 × 100 m relay 38.74 SB
European Championships Germany Munich 3rd 200 metres 20.27
2023 European Team Championships Poland Chorzów 5th 200 metres 20.61
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 38.47 SB
World Championships Hungary Budapest 25th (h) 200 metres 20.46
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 37.62 SB
2024 World Athletics Relays The Bahamas Nassau Final 4 × 100 m relay DQ
European Championships Italy Rome 2nd 200 metres 20.41
1st 4 × 100 m relay 37.82 EL
2025 World Relays China Guangzhou 5th 4 × 100 m relay 38.20

Filippo's Personal Best Times

A "personal best" (PB) is the fastest time an athlete has ever run in a specific race. Here are Filippo's best times:

Outdoor races
  • 100 meters: 9.99 seconds (set in Madrid, Spain, on June 22, 2018)
  • Fastest 100 meter anchor leg: 8.845 seconds (during the Olympic gold medal race in Tokyo, Japan, on August 5, 2021)
  • 200 meters: 20.10 seconds (set in Eugene, USA, on July 19, 2022)
Indoor races
  • 60 meters: 6.58 seconds (set in Ancona, Italy, on January 20, 2019)

National Titles Won

Filippo has also won several national championships in Italy:

  • Italian Athletics Championships
    • 100 meters: 2016
    • 200 meters: 2023
  • Italian Athletics Indoor Championships
    • 60 meters: 2020

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Filippo Tortu para niños

  • List of Italian records in athletics
  • Italian national track relay team
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