Filippo Tortu (born 15 June 1998) is an Italian sprinter with a personal best in the 100 metres of 9.99, the first Italian in history to break the 10 seconds barrier, and the second fastest Italian in history following Marcell Jacobs. He won the gold medal in 100 metres at the 2017 European U20 Championships and the silver medal at the 2016 World U20 Championships. He ran the anchor leg in the 4×100m relay of the Italian team that won the gold medal (the fifth fastest anchor of all time) at the 2020 Summer Olympics and at the 2024 European Championships, and the silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
At the individual level in the 200 metres he won the silver medal at the 2024 European Championships and the bronze medal at the 2022 European Championships. He is coached by his father, Salvino Tortu, a former Sardinian sprinter who moved to Lombardy. [1]
Born in Milan to a Sardinian father, former runner Salvino, and a Lombard mother, Paola Confalonieri, he began to play sports at the age of eight years, dividing his time between track and field and basketball.
In 2010 and 2011, he won the title of fastest runner in Milan while competing in the categories prima media and seconda media (first and second years of middle school). He then started to dedicate himself entirely to track and field, coached by his father. In 2013, he won the 80 meters in the Italian championships in Jesolo (category cadetto) with a time of 9.09.
He finished third at the 2014 trials for the European Youth Olympic Games although he did not qualify. He did however qualify for the 200 meters, but in the preliminary race for the Youth Olympics he fell at the finish line; he broke both arms and as a result was not able to compete in the finals. In 2015, he broke the Italian youth record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.33, as well as in the 200 meters with a time of 20.92.
In 2016, he broke the Italian junior record of 100 meters in Savona, twice obtaining a time of 10.24; this record had been unbeaten for 34 years, and was held by Pierfrancesco Pavoni who ran the distance in 10.25 at the 1982 European Championships. A month later, he landed his first Italian title in Rieti, winning the final of 100 meters in 10.32. He took part in the European Championships in Amsterdam, where he qualified for the semifinals by winning with a time of 10.19, which was a new Italian junior record. He failed, however, to reach the final by 0.03 seconds. He also ran the final leg of 4×100 relay, landing a 5th place. He participated at the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, where he won the silver medal in 100 meters with 10.24, behind the American Noah Lyles (10.17). In the same championship he participated in the 4×100 relay where they finished 7th.
At the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Tortu competed in the men's 100m. He reached the semi-final but did not qualify for the finals. [2] Tortu also ran the anchor leg in the 4×100 relay final, coming from behind to pip the GB team by one-hundredth of a second, running his leg with only 8.845 seconds and winning a historic gold. [3]
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Youth Olympic Games | Nanjing | Final | 200 metres | DNS | [6] |
2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam | 9th (sf) | 100 metres | 10.19 | |
5th | 4×100 m relay | 38.69 | ||||
World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz | 2nd | 100 metres | 10.24 | ||
7th | 4×100 m relay | 40.02 | ||||
2017 | IAAF World Relays | Nassau | Heat | 4×100 m relay | DQ | R170.7 |
European U20 Championships | Grosseto | 1st | 100 metres | 10.73 (–4.3) | ||
2nd | 4×100 m relay | 39.50 | ||||
World Championships | London | 17th (sf) | 200 metres | 20.62 | w | |
2018 | Mediterranean Games | Tarragona | 1st | 4×100 m relay | 38.49 | |
European Championships | Berlin | 5th | 100 metres | 10.08 | ||
Heat | 4×100 m relay | DQ | R170.7 | |||
2019 | IAAF World Relays | Yokohama | Final | 4×100 m relay | DNF | [7] |
World Championships | Doha | 7th | 100 metres | 10.07 | SB | |
10th (sf) | 4×100 m relay | 38.11 | NR | |||
2021 | World Athletics Relays | Chorzów | 1st | 4×100 m relay | 39.21 | [8] |
Olympic Games | Tokyo | 18th (sf) | 100 metres | 10.16 | [9] | |
1st | 4×100 m relay | 37.50 | NR | |||
2022 | World Championships | Eugene | 9th (sf) | 200 metres | 20.10 | |
10th (h) | 4×100 m relay | 38.74 | SB | |||
European Championships | Munich | 3rd | 200 metres | 20.27 | ||
2023 | European Team Championships | Chorzów | 5th | 200 metres | 20.61 | |
2nd | 4×100 m relay | 38.47 | SB | |||
World Championships | Budapest | 25th (h) | 200 metres | 20.46 | ||
2nd | 4×100 m relay | 37.62 | SB [10] | |||
2024 | World Athletics Relays | Nassau | Final | 4×100 m relay | DQ | [11] |
European Championships | Rome | 2nd | 200 metres | 20.41 | [12] | |
1st | 4×100 m relay | 37.82 | EL |
Simone Collio is an Italian sprinter who specializes in the 60 and 100 metres. His personal best times are 6.55 seconds in the 60 metres (indoor) and 10.06 seconds in the 100 metres, the third all-time best performance in the Italian ranking of 100 meters, after the 10.01 at altitude of Pietro Mennea and 9.99 of Filippo Tortu.
Carmelita Jeter is a retired American sprinter, who competed in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. For over a decade, between 2009 and 2021, Jeter was called the "Fastest woman alive" after running a 100 m personal best of 10.64 seconds at the 2009 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. In the 100 m, she was the 2011 world champion and the 2012 Olympic silver medalist.
Matteo Galvan is an Italian athlete who specializes in the 200 and 400 metres. His career highlight so far is the 2009 European Indoor Championships, where he placed sixth in the 400 metres and won a gold medal in the relay.
Christophe Lemaitre is a former French sprinter who specialised in the 100 and 200 metres. In 2010, Lemaitre became the first white athlete to break the 10-second barrier in an officially timed 100 m event. Lemaitre has run a sub-10 second 100m on seven occasions: three times in 2010 and four times in 2011. He won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2012 London Olympic Games and in the 200 metres at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
Nickel Ashmeade is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 and 200 meters.
Jamile Samuel is a Dutch athlete sprinter, who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres. She won three bronze medals at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, thus establishing herself as the third-fastest female runner under the age of 20 in the world. She won a gold medal with the Dutch women's 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam.
Desirèe Henry is a British sprinter who competes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She won an Olympic silver medal in the women's 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2016 Rio Games, and a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.
Akani Simbine is a South African sprinter specialising in the 100 metres event. He was fifth at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 metres and was the 100 metres African record holder with a time of 9.84 seconds set in July 2021 until broken by Ferdinand Omanyala in September 2021.
Trayvon Jaquez Bromell is an American professional track and field athlete specializing in sprinting events. He won bronze medals in the 100 meters at the 2015 and 2022 World Championships. Bromell was the 2016 World indoor 60 meters champion, and competed for the United States at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was the first junior to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters with a time of 9.97 seconds, the former junior world record.
Abbigail "Abbey" Weitzeil is an American competition swimmer specializing in sprint freestyle. A multiple time Olympic medalist, she won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay for swimming in the preliminary heats and a silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the 2020 Summer Olympics she won a silver medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay and a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, swimming in the final of both events. She is the American record holder in the 50-yard freestyle and is part of the American Record in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Elaine Thompson-Herah is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. Regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, she is a five-time Olympic champion, the fastest woman alive in the 100 m, and the third fastest ever in the 200 m.
Evgeny Mikhailovich Rylov is a Russian competitive swimmer and Olympic champion specializing in backstroke events. He won three gold medals at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, and a bronze medal at his senior international debut at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan. He also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, both were in the 200 metre backstroke event. In 2018, at the 2018 World Short Course Championships, he won gold medals in the 200 metre backstroke and 50 metre backstroke. At the 2019 World Championships, he won a gold medal in the 200 metre backstroke, silver medal in the 100 metre backstroke, and silver medal in the 50 metre backstroke. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre backstroke and 200 metre backstroke at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Shericka Jackson is a Jamaican sprinter competing in the 60 m, 100 m, 200 m, and 400 metres. In the 100 m, she’s the fifth fastest woman of all time, while in the 200 m, she’s the second fastest woman in history.
Eseosa Fostine "Fausto" Desalu is an Italian sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres winning a silver medal in that event at the 2018 Mediterranean Games and a gold medal in the 4×100 m relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Kristóf Milák is a Hungarian swimmer. He is the current holder of the world record in the long course 200 metre butterfly and the European record in the long course 100 metre butterfly. At his first Olympic Games, the 2020 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the 200 metre butterfly and a silver medal in the 100 metre butterfly. He has also won three gold medals and one silver at the World Aquatic Championships, as well as three gold medals at the European Aquatics Championships. He was the gold medalist in the 400 metre freestyle, 200 metre freestyle, and 200 metre butterfly events at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.
Lamont Marcell Jacobs Jr. is an Italian track and field sprinter and former long jumper. He is the 2020 Olympic 100 metres champion, the 2022 60 metres world champion, the 2022 and 2024 European 100 metres champion, and a member of the gold medal-winning 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2020 Olympics. He currently holds the 100 metres European record, the 60 metres European record, and is the first person to ever qualify for and win the men's 100 metres Olympic final for Italy.
Zachary "Zach" Douglas Apple is a retired American competitive swimmer who specialized in the sprint freestyle events. He used to swim for DC Trident in the International Swimming League. He won his first Olympic gold medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics, swimming in the prelims and the final of the event, and later in the same Olympic Games won a gold medal and helped set a new world record and Olympic record in the 4x100-meter medley relay, swimming the freestyle leg of the relay in the final.
The men's 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2021 World Athletics Relays has been held at the Silesian Stadium on 1 and 2 May.
Lorenzo Patta is an Italian sprinter who won a gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
David Popovici is a Romanian competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle events and is the reigning Olympic champion in the 200-metre event, having won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He is a former world record holder in the long course 100-metre freestyle and the current junior world record holder in the long course 200-metre freestyle. He also holds the junior world record in the short course 100-metre freestyle.
...the European junior champion clocked 9.99 to beat the long-standing Italian record of 10.01 set by Pietro Mennea back in 1979, 19 years before Tortu was born.