Armando Sardi

Armando Sardi was born into a family of cyclists (his father Luigi was the founder of the Pedale Monzese cycling club) but he became a sprinter, taking part in the 1960 Roma Olympics, where he was eliminated in the 200 metre heats, an event won by Livio Berruti. Sardi helped Italy finish fourth in the 4x100 relay just a few hundredths of a second from the bronze medal of Great Britain.

In 1962 Sardi competed at the European Championships in Beograd but went out in the semi-finals of the 200 metres. At the 1963 Mediterranean Games he won a gold medal in the 4x100 metre relay, adding a silver in the 200 metres behind Berruti and in front of Sergio Ottolina. In July 1963, at Trieste, Sardi won his only Italian individual title in the 200 metres, while in 1964 he was a substitute at the Tokyo Olympics. Sardi also won six Italian titles in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays between 1960-67 and earned 17 international caps from 1960-64. On the day of his 80th birthday, the municipality of Monza awarded Sardi with the Medaglia della Luna (Medal of the Moon), symbol of the city.

Personal Bests: 100 – 10.4 (1962); 200 – 20.8 (1961).