Fiona May facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fiona May

Personal information
Nationality	Italian
Born	(1969-12-12) 12 December 1969 (age 55) Slough, England
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
Country	Italy
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Long jump
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	7.11 m (1998)
Medal record Representing  Italy Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 2 0 World Championships 2 1 1 European Championships 0 1 1 World Indoor Championships 1 0 0 European Indoor Championships 1 0 0 Mediterranean Games 1 0 0 European Cup 3 2 3 Olympic Games Silver 1996 Atlanta Long jump Silver 2000 Sydney Long jump World Championships Gold 1995 Gothenburg Long jump Gold 2001 Edmonton Long jump Silver 1999 Seville Long jump Bronze 1997 Athens Long jump World Indoor Championships Gold 1997 Paris Long jump European Championships Silver 1998 Budapest Long jump Bronze 1994 Helsinki Long jump European Indoor Championships Gold 1998 Valencia Long jump Representing  Great Britain Event 1st 2nd 3rd Universiade 1 0 0 European Cup 0 0 3 Commonwealth Games Bronze 1990 Auckland Long jump World Junior Championships Gold 1988 Sudbury Long jump

Fiona May is a famous retired athlete. She was born on December 12, 1969. Fiona competed in track and field events. She was especially known for the long jump. She first represented the United Kingdom. Later, she competed for Italy.

Fiona May won many big awards. She won the World Championships twice. She also earned two silver medals at the Olympic Games. Her longest jump ever was 7.11 meters. She achieved this amazing distance at the 1998 European Championships.

Early Life and Training

Fiona May was born in Slough, England. She grew up in Derby. She went to South East Derbyshire College. There, she studied Communications and Economics. She also trained hard at the Derby Ladies Athletics Club. Later, she attended Leeds Trinity & All Saints College. She studied economics and business there.

Her Amazing Athletics Career

Fiona May was a very talented long jumper. She started her career competing for Great Britain. In 1994, she married her coach, Gianni Iapichino. After her marriage, she became an Italian citizen. This meant she then competed for Italy.

She won many important medals during her career. She earned gold medals at the World Championships in 1995 and 2001. She also won silver medals at the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000. In 1997, she won a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships. Her personal best jump of 7.11 meters was achieved in 1998.

Fiona also briefly competed in the triple jump. Her best triple jump was 14.65 meters in 1998. She took a break from competing in 2002. This was because she was pregnant and had a baby. Her last major competition was the World Championships in 2005. She retired from competitions in 2006.

Life After Athletics

After retiring from sports, Fiona May started a new career. She became successful in show business. She did some modeling work. She also became the spokesperson for Kinder snacks. In 2006, she won the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars. Later that year, she started acting. She was the main character in a TV miniseries called Butta la luna. This show was about racism and how people from different backgrounds can live together.

Helping Others

In 2019, Fiona May became a supporter for the Italian Salesians of Don Bosco's missions. These missions help people in Africa. She especially supported their work for mothers in Ethiopia.

Her Family

Fiona May's parents are from Jamaica. She is also the cousin of rugby player Marcel Garvey.

She married her coach, Gianni Iapichino, in 1993. Gianni was a former pole vaulter. They had a daughter named Larissa in 2002. Fiona and Gianni were married until 2011.

Larissa is following in her parents' footsteps. She is also a talented athlete. Larissa has won Italian and European titles in the 300 meters hurdles. She also won a silver medal in the long jump at the 2023 European Indoor Championships.

Major Achievements

Fiona May achieved many great things in her athletics career. Here are some of her most important medals:

• 1987 European Junior Championships: Gold medal in long jump (representing Great Britain)
• 1988 World Junior Championships: Gold medal in long jump (representing Great Britain)
• 1990 Commonwealth Games: Bronze medal in long jump (representing England)
• 1994 European Championships: Bronze medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 1995 World Championships: Gold medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 1996 Olympic Games: Silver medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 1997 World Indoor Championships: Gold medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 1997 World Championships: Bronze medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 1998 European Indoor Championships: Gold medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 1998 European Championships: Silver medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 1999 World Championships: Silver medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 2000 Olympic Games: Silver medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 2001 World Championships: Gold medal in long jump (representing Italy)
• 2005 Mediterranean Games: Gold medal in long jump (representing Italy)

See also

In Spanish: Fiona May para niños

• Italian sportswomen multiple medalists at Olympics and World Championships
• Italian record progression women's long jump
• Italian all-time lists – Long jump
• Italian all-time lists – Triple jump
• FIDAL Hall of Fame
• Naturalized athletes of Italy