Trebisonda "Ondina" Valla (20 May 1916 – 16 October 2006) was an Italian female athlete, and the first Italian woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal. She won it in the 80 m hurdles event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, after establishing the new world record during the semi-final.
Born in Bologna, last after four brothers,[1] she was named Trebisonda – a very unusual name for the country – after the Turkish town of Trabzon (Trebisonda in Italian), which her father considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. However, she was nicknamed Ondina, meaning "little wave".
Ondina Valla stood out for her personality and her sports talent even as a young girl. She rivalled with Claudia Testoni at the school championships in their hometown, and they would remain opponents for the rest of their careers. Aged 13, Ondina Valla was already considered one of Italy's top athletes. The following year she became national champion and was capped for the national team.[2]
She was a versatile athlete, capable of excellent results in sprint events, hurdles races and jumps. She soon became a favorite with Italian sports fans. For the fascist government she was the ideal icon of the healthy, strong national youth. Media defined her "the sun in a smile".
Her most important achievement was the gold medal of 80 m hurdles race at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. On 5 August she won the semi-final in 11.6, a new world record. On the following day she ran the final. It was a tight race, with four athletes rushing together at the finish line. There were no doubts about Valla's victory, but a photofinish picture was needed to award the silver and bronze medals. Valla's lifelong rival, Claudia Testoni, finished fourth, without a medal. Valla and Testoni were also members of the Italian 4 × 100 m relay team which finished fourth.[3]
The victory of Valla was important for the Fascist regime and the hostility of many leaders for the participation of women in athletic competitions started to decrease. Mussolini used the victory of the Italian athlete for propaganda, as a demonstration of the strength of the Italian race.[4]
After those Olympic Games, Ondina Valla was forced to limit her competitions because of back problems. However, she still continued to compete until the early 1940s.
World recordedit
80 metres hurdles: 11.6 (Berlin, 5 August 1936)[5]
^"1936 Olympic champion Trebisonda Valla dies at 90". european-athletics.org. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2012. Valla, often known by her nickname Ondina or 'Little Wave', won the 1936 Olympic Games 80m hurdles gold medal having set a world record of 11.6 in her semi-final.
^"ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS". gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
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Trebisonda Ondina Valla 20 May 1916 16 October 2006 was an Italian female athlete and the first Italian woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal She won it in the 80 m hurdles event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin after establishing the new world record during the semi final Ondina VallaPersonal informationFull nameTrebisonda VallaNationalityItalianBorn 1916 05 20 20 May 1916Bologna Kingdom of ItalyDied16 October 2006 2006 10 16 aged 90 L Aquila ItalyHeight1 73 m 5 ft 8 in Weight66 kg 146 lb SportCountryItalySportAthleticsEvent s SprintHurdlingLong jumpHigh jumpClubSEF Virtus BolognaRetired1942Achievements and titlesPersonal bests80 m hs 11 6 1940 100 m 12 5 1935 High jump 1 56 m 1936 Long jump 5 39 m 1935 Medal record Summer Olympics1936 Berlin 80 metre hurdlesInternational University Games1933 Turin 80 meters hs1933 Turin 100 metres1933 Turin Long jump1933 Turin 4x100 m relay Contents 1 Biography 2 World record 3 Achievements 4 National titles 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksBiography editBorn in Bologna last after four brothers 1 she was named Trebisonda a very unusual name for the country after the Turkish town of Trabzon Trebisonda in Italian which her father considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world However she was nicknamed Ondina meaning little wave Ondina Valla stood out for her personality and her sports talent even as a young girl She rivalled with Claudia Testoni at the school championships in their hometown and they would remain opponents for the rest of their careers Aged 13 Ondina Valla was already considered one of Italy s top athletes The following year she became national champion and was capped for the national team 2 She was a versatile athlete capable of excellent results in sprint events hurdles races and jumps She soon became a favorite with Italian sports fans For the fascist government she was the ideal icon of the healthy strong national youth Media defined her the sun in a smile Her most important achievement was the gold medal of 80 m hurdles race at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin On 5 August she won the semi final in 11 6 a new world record On the following day she ran the final It was a tight race with four athletes rushing together at the finish line There were no doubts about Valla s victory but a photofinish picture was needed to award the silver and bronze medals Valla s lifelong rival Claudia Testoni finished fourth without a medal Valla and Testoni were also members of the Italian 4 100 m relay team which finished fourth 3 The victory of Valla was important for the Fascist regime and the hostility of many leaders for the participation of women in athletic competitions started to decrease Mussolini used the victory of the Italian athlete for propaganda as a demonstration of the strength of the Italian race 4 After those Olympic Games Ondina Valla was forced to limit her competitions because of back problems However she still continued to compete until the early 1940s World record edit80 metres hurdles 11 6 nbsp Berlin 5 August 1936 5 Achievements editYear Competition Venue Position Event Performance Note1936 Olympic Games nbsp Berlin 1st 80 metres hurdles 11 7 nbsp 4th 4 100 m relay 48 7National titles editOndina Valla has won the Italian Athletics Championships individual 16 times in various specialties 6 1 win in 60 metres 1932 2 wins in 100 metres 1933 1936 6 wins in 80 metres hurdles 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1937 5 wins in high jump 1930 1931 1933 1937 1940 1 win in standing high jump 1930 1 win in pentathlon 1935 See also editTestoni Valla rivalry Women s 80 metres hurdles world record progression Women s long jump Italian record progression Women s high jump Italian record progression Italy national relay team Legends of Italian sport Walk of Fame FIDAL Hall of FameReferences edit Trebisonda Ondina Valla la prima donna d oro in Italian scheggedicalcio jimdo com Archived from the original on 24 June 2012 Retrieved 4 October 2012 Ondina Valla Biography sports reference com Archived from the original on 17 April 2020 Retrieved 4 October 2012 IAAF President s Message iaaf org Archived from the original on 11 August 2012 Retrieved 4 October 2012 Giuseppe D Angelo amp Erminio Fonzo Arrivederci a Tokyo Ondina Valla e lo sport femminile durante il fascismo in La Camera Blu Rivista di studi di genere 2017 pp 332 360 https www academia edu 35547503 Arrivederci a Tokyo Ondina Valla e lo sport femminile durante il fascismo Retrieved 5 January 2017 1936 Olympic champion Trebisonda Valla dies at 90 european athletics org Archived from the original on 14 April 2013 Retrieved 25 October 2012 Valla often known by her nickname Ondina or Little Wave won the 1936 Olympic Games 80m hurdles gold medal having set a world record of 11 6 in her semi final ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS gbrathletics com Retrieved 24 October 2012 External links editOndina Valla at World Athletics nbsp Ondina Valla at European Athletics nbsp Ondina Valla at the Italian Athletics Federation in Italian nbsp Ondina Valla at Olympics com nbsp Ondina Valla at Olympedia nbsp Ondina Valla at the Italian National Olympic Committee in Italian nbsp RecordsPreceded by nbsp Ruth Engelhard 80 metres hs World Record Holder5 August 1936 1 August 1937 Succeeded by nbsp Barbara Burke Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ondina Valla amp oldid 1200727828, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
