# Giovanni De Benedictis

Giovanni De Benedictis (born 8 January 1968, in Pescara) is a retired Italian race walker, that won 9 medals at individual level, 7 of these at senior level, at the International athletics competitions. He participated at five editions of the Summer Olympics (from 1988 to 2004), this like only two others Italian athletes in track and field: the other racewalker champion Abdon Pamich and the sprinter Pietro Mennea. He also won four medals at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup team events (Lugano Trophy).

## Biography

Giovanni De Benedictis has won 28 times the individual national championship, third of all-time after Abdon Pamich (40) and Antonio Ambu (34). He has 42 caps in seventeen years in the national team from 1987 to 2004.
In addition to the five Olympic Games, he participated in six World Outdoor Championships and two of the World Indoor, four editions of the European Outdoor Championships and five European Indoor, six editions of the World Race Walking Cup and four of the European Race Walking Cup.

## World best performances

* 3000 metres race walk: 10:47.11, San Giovanni Valdarno, 19 May 1990. world record held until 4 February 2001, and was beaten by the German Andreas Erm.

## Achievements

Olympic Games :
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul | 9th | 20 km | 1:21:18 | PB |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona | 3rd | 20 km | 1:23:11 | SB |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta | 27th | 20 km | 1:25:22 | |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney | 16th | 20 km | 1:23:14 | SB |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens | DNF | 50 km | DSQ | |
| World Championships |||||||
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo | 4th | 20 km | 1:20:29 | PB |
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart | 2nd | 20 km | 1:23:06 | |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg | DNF | 50 km | DSQ | |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens | 8th | 20 km | 1:23:33 | |
| 1999 | World Championships | Sevilla | 8th | 20 km | 1:25:33 | |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton | DNF | 50 km | Retired | |
| World Indoor Championships |||||||
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 1989 | World Indoor Championships | Budapest | 5th | 5000 m | 18:40.87 | NR |
| 1991 | World Indoor Championships | Seville | 2nd | 5000 m | 18:23.60 | NR |
| European Championships |||||||
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 1990 | European Championships | Split | 8th | 20 km | 1:24:51 | |
| 1994 | European Championships | Helsinki | 4th | 20 km | 1:20:39 | SB |
| 1998 | European Championships | Budapest | 10th | 20 km | 1:25.06 | |
| 2002 | European Championships | Munich | DNF | 50 km | DSQ | |
| European Indoor Championships |||||||
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 1988 | European Indoor Championships | Budapest | 6th | 5000 m | 18:58.40 | |
| 1989 | European Indoor Championships | The Hague | 3rd | 5000 m | 18:43.45 | |
| 1990 | European Indoor Championships | Glasgow | 2nd | 5000 m | 19:02.90 | |
| 1992 | European Indoor Championships | Genoa | 1st | 5000 m | 18:19.97 | |
| 1994 | European Indoor Championships | Paris | DNF | 5000 m | NM | |
| World Race Walking Cup |||||||
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 1989 | World Race Walking Cup | L'Hospitalet | 14th | 20 km | 1:22:25 | SB |
| 1991 | World Race Walking Cup | San Jose | 5th | 20 km | 1:21:13 | PB |
| 1993 | World Race Walking Cup | Monterrey | 7th | 20 km | 1:25:09 | |
| 1995 | World Race Walking Cup | Beijing | 12th | 50 km | 3:49:30 | |
| 1997 | World Race Walking Cup | Poděbrady | 22nd | 20 km | 1:20:49 | SB |
| 2004 | World Race Walking Cup | Naumburg | 10th | 50 km | 3:54:25 | |
| European Race Walking Cup |||||||
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 1996 | European Race Walking Cup | A Coruña | 10th | 20 km | 1:23:21 | SB |
| 1998 | European Race Walking Cup | Dudince | DNF | 20 km | NM | |
| 2000 | European Race Walking Cup | Eisenhüttenstadt | 11th | 20 km | 1:21:43 | SB |
| 2001 | European Race Walking Cup | Dudince | 15th | 50 km | 3:54:12 | SB |
| Others competitions |||||||
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 1985 | European Junior Championships | Cottbus | 3rd | 10,000 m | 42:56.80 | |
| 1986 | World Junior Championships | Athens | 4th | 10,000 m | 41:06.95 | |
| 1987 | European Junior Championships | Birmingham | 1st | 10,000 m | 39:44.71 | |
| 1989 | World Military Championships | Ostia | 1st | 20 km | 1:24:21 | |
| 1993 | World Military Championships | Tours | 1st | 20 km | | |
| 1997 | Mediterranean Games | Bari | 1st | 20 km | 1:24:59 | |

## National titles

He won 28 times the national championships at senior level.
| Event | Outdoor | Indoor |
| 20 km walk road | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001 | |
| 50 km walk road | 2004, 2006 | |
| 10,000 metres walk track | 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2002 | |
| 5000 metres walk | | 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| | 18 | 10 |