Agostino Abbagnale

Agostino Abbagnale
Personal information
Nationality Italian
Born (1966-08-25) August 25, 1966
Pompei, Italy
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 96 kg (212 lb)
Sport
Country  Italy
Sport Rowing
Club G.S. Fiamme Gialle
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing  Italy
Olympic Games
1988 Seoul Quadruple scull
1996 Atlanta Double scull
2000 Sydney Quadruple scull
World Championships
1997 Aiguebelette Quadruple Scull
1998 Cologne Quadruple Scull
1985 Hazewinkel Eight
2002 Seville Double Scull

Agostino Abbagnale (born 25 August 1966) is an Italian rower and Triple Olympic gold medalist. He is also the younger brother of multiple Olympic medalists Carmine Abbagnale and Giuseppe Abbagnale.

Biography

Abbagnale was born in Pompei. He won his first gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He stroked the Italian Quadruple scull (4x). His brothers Carmine and Giuseppe won gold medals at the same games in the pair with coxswain event (2+).

After the medal ceremony, Abbagnale, who is a poor swimmer, jumped into the rowing lake and landed on one of his partners Davide Tizzano, knocking the gold medal out of his hand. It took scuba divers two days to recover the missing medal. Shortly thereafter, Abbagnale began suffering from thrombosis which caused blood clots in the veins of his legs. He had to give up rowing for five years, which prevented him from rowing in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Abbagnale returned to the Olympic stage at the 1996 Summer Olympics, teaming with Davide Tizzano to win the Gold in the double scull (2x). At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Abbagnale repeated his gold medal performance, winning the quadruple scull (4x). A flare-up in his thrombosis forced Abbagnale to retire in 2003.

In 2006, Abbagnale was awarded the Thomas Keller Medal, given by FISA, the governing board for international rowing. The Thomas Keller Medal is awarded for an outstanding career in international rowing. Abbagnale's brothers Carmine and Giuseppe had been awarded the Thomas Keller Medal in 1997.

Achievements

Olympic Games

World Championships

See also

References

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