Trebisonda "Ondina" Valla (20 May 1916 – 16 October 2006) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
female
athlete, and the first Italian woman to ever win an
Olympic gold medal. She won it in the 80 m
hurdles
Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...
event at the
1936 Summer Olympics in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, after establishing the new world record during the semi-final.
Biography
Born in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
, last after four brothers, she was named Trebisonda – a very unusual name for the country – after the
Turkish town of
Trabzon
Trabzon (; Ancient Greek: Tραπεζοῦς (''Trapezous''), Ophitic Pontic Greek: Τραπεζούντα (''Trapezounta''); Georgian: ტრაპიზონი (''Trapizoni'')), historically known as Trebizond in English, is a city on the B ...
( in
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
), 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.
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.
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
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
used the victory of the Italian athlete for propaganda, as a demonstration of the strength of the Italian race.
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
*80 metres hurdles: 11.6 (
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, 5 August 1936)
Achievements
National titles
Ondina Valla has won the
Italian Athletics Championships
The Italian Athletics Championships ( it, Campionati italiani assoluti di atletica leggera) are the national championships in athletics, organised every year by the Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera.
The first edition, four races only, w ...
(individual), 16 times in various specialties.
*1 win in
60 metres
60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior ath ...
(1932)
*2 wins in
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...
(1933, 1936)
*6 wins in
80 metres hurdles
80 metres hurdles is a distance in hurdling ran by women until 1972 in international competitions.
Since the 1972 Summer Olympics, the event has been permanently replaced by the 100 metre hurdles.
Masters athletics
The distance, with different s ...
(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
*
Testoni–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 Fame
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valla, Ondina
1916 births
2006 deaths
Sportspeople from Bologna
Olympic athletes of Italy
Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Italian female hurdlers
Italian female sprinters
Italian female high jumpers
Italian female long jumpers
Olympic gold medalists for Italy
Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Women's World Games medalists
Italian Athletics Championships winners