Assunta Legnante

Assunta Legnante (born 14 May 1978 in Naples) is a visually impaired Italian shot putter. She has competed in both the Olympics and the Paralympics, one of the few athletes to do so. As of February 2013, she is the current F11 shot put world record holder.[1] She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's discus throw F11, and Women's shot put F12, winning silver medals.[2][3]

Assunta Legnante
Personal information
NationalityItalian
Born (1978-05-14) 14 May 1978
Naples, Italy
Height1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Weight122 kg (269 lb)
Sport
CountryItaly Italy
SportAthletics
Paralympic athletics
DisabilityVisually impaired
Disability classT11
Event(s)Shot put
Discus throw
ClubItalgest Athletic Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • Shot put: 19.04 m (2006)
  • Shot put indoor: 19.20 m (2002)
  • Shot put F11: 17.32 m (2014)
  • Discus Throw F11 : 32.72 m (2012)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Italy
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2012 LondonShot put F11–12
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de JaneiroShot put – F12
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoDiscus throw – F11
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoShot put – F12
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Doha Shot put – F12
Gold medal – first place 2019 Dubai Discus throw – F11
Gold medal – first place 2023 Paris Shot put – F12
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2014 Swansea Shot put – F11/12
Gold medal – first place2014 Swansea Discus – F11/12
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2007 BirminghamShot put
Silver medal – second place2002 ViennaShot put
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place2001 RadèsShot put
Silver medal – second place2009 PescaraShot put
European Cup Winter Throwing
Gold medal – first place2008 SplitShot put
Silver medal – second place2002 PolaShot put
Silver medal – second place2004 MarsaShot put
Silver medal – second place2005 MersinShot put
Silver medal – second place2007 JaltaShot put
European U23 Championships
Bronze medal – third place1999 GothenburgShot put
European Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place1997 LjubljanaShot put

Non-disabled athletics career

Legnante won the silver medal at the 2002 and the gold medal at the 2007 European Indoor Athletics Championships, where she captained the Italian team.[4] She finished fifth at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, having missed the 2004 Olympics due to dangerously high intraocular pressure.[4][5]

Her personal best throw is 19.04 metres, achieved in September 2006 in Busto Arsizio. Her best indoor result is 19.20 metres, achieved in February 2002 in Genova.[6]

Blindness and Paralympics

Legnante was born with congenital glaucoma in both eyes.[4] In 2009, she suddenly lost the sight in her better, right eye.[4][5] Her left retina then deteriorated.[4] She had a cataract removed in March 2012, but that did not improve her sight. She now has light perception in her left eye, but nothing more.[4]

The 2007 European indoor champion did not lose heart and started a new career as a Paralympic athlete, training for the forthcoming 2012 Summer Paralympics.[5]

At the 2012 Italian Paralympic Athletics Championships in Turin she set a new F11 shot put world record with a throw of 13.27 metres.[7] On 8 June, at Memorial Primo Nebiolo in Turin, she improved the world record, three times, to 15.22 m.[8] At the London Paralympics, she broke her own world record with a throw of 16.74 metres.[1]

In 2014, she returned to international level throwing 17.09 on 20 June and 17.39 at the regional championships in Naples eight days later.

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Athletics
1996 World Junior Championships Sydney, Australia 13th (q) Shot put 13.44 m
1999 European U23 Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 3rd Shot put 16.53 m
2001 Mediterranean Games Radès, Tunisia 1st Shot put 17.23 m
Universiade Beijing, China 11th Shot put 16.16 m
2002 European Indoor Championships Vienna, Austria 2nd Shot put 18.60 m
European Championships Munich, Germany 8th Shot put 18.23 m = PB
2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, England 8th Shot put 18.20 m
World Championships Paris, France 8th Shot put 18.28 m
2004 World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 6th Shot put 17.20 m
2005 European Indoor Championships Madrid, Spain 6th Shot put 17.76 m
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 12th Shot put 16.99 m
Universiade Izmir, Turkey 4th Shot put 17.31 m
2006 European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 5th Shot put 18.83 m
2007 European Indoor Championships Birmingham, England 1st Shot put 18.92 m
2009 Mediterranean Games Pescara, Italy 2nd Shot put 17.44 m
Paralympic Athletics
2012 Summer Paralympics London, United Kingdom 1st Shot put 16.74 m
8th Discus throw 30.81 m
2016 Summer Paralympics Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 1st Shot put 15.74 m
4th Discus throw 31.51 m

See also

References
  1. "IPC Athletics World Records". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  2. "Athletics - LEGNANTE Assunta - Tokyo 2020 Paralympics". Tokyo2020.org. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. archysport (2 September 2021). "Assunta Legnante, get the gold! Last day in swimming with Giulia Terzi and Raimondi – OA Sport". Archysport. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. "Beijing Olympic shot-putter Assunta Legnante now blind, seeks Paralympic title". Association Internationale De La Presse Sportive. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  5. "Atletica: Legnante shock "Non ci vedo piu"" (in Italian). sportlive.it. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  6. IAAF Athlete Profile: Assunta Legnante
  7. "Assunta Legnante nuovo record del mondo, tanti ottimi risultati" (in Italian). Fispes.it. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  8. "Torino per il record bis di Abate" (in Italian). fidal.it. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.