Maria Benedicta Chigbolu

Maria Benedicta Chigbolu (born 27 July 1989)[1] is an Italian sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in 4 × 400 m relay.[2]

Maria Benedicta Chigbolu
Maria Chigbolu in 2016
Personal information
Full nameMaria Benedicta Chigbolu
NationalityItalian
Born (1989-07-27) 27 July 1989
Rome, Italy
Height1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
CountryItaly Italy
SportTrack and field
Event(s)Sprint
ClubG.S. Esercito
Coached byMaria Chiara Milardi
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • 400 m: 51.67 (2015)
  • 4x400 m: 3:25.16 (2016, NR)
Medal record
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place2016 Amsterdam4x400 m
IAAF World Relays
Bronze medal – third place2019 Yokohama4×400 m
European Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place2019 Bydgoszcz400 m
Bronze medal – third place2019 Bydgoszcz4x400 m
Mediterranean Games
Bronze medal – third place2018 Tarragona400 m
Gold medal – first place2018 Tarragona4x400 m
Silver medal – second place2013 Mersin400 m
Gold medal – first place2013 Mersin4×400 m

Biography

Maria Chigbolu was born in Rome to an Italian mother and a Nigerian father. She has five siblings. Her grandfather Julius Chigbolu was a Nigerian athlete, who competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics, and later became president of Athletics Federation of Nigeria.[1] She is engaged with the Italian sprinter Matteo Galvan.[3]

Career

Besides medals in the 400 metres and 4x400 m relays from the 2013 and 2018 Mediterranean Games, Chigbolu won a bronze in the individual event at the 2016 European Championships.

She was a member of the 2016 Olympics squad, which set the Italian national record at the 4x400 metres with a time of 3:25.16 sec.

Chigbolu took bronze medals at the 2019 World Relays (4x400 m), and at the 2019 European Team Championships (400 m and 4x400 m).

At the Italian Championships, she won 1 time in the 400 metres (2017), 8 times in the 4x400 m relay, and twice in the indoor relays (4x200 m, 4x400 m).

Achievements

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeNotes
2013 Mediterranean Games Mersin, Turkey 2nd 400 m 52.66 PB
1st 4×400 m 3.32.44 SB
World Championships Moscow, Russia DQ (final) 4x400 m DQ 170.6[n 1]
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 7th 4x400 m 3:31.31 [n 2]
2015 European Indoor Championships Prague, Czech Republic (heats) 400 m 54.17
World Championships Beijing, China (heats) 400 m 52.48
(heats) 4x400 m 3:27.07 SB
DécaNation Paris, France 5th 400 m 52.81 [4]
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands (semifinals) 400 m 52.69
3rd 4×400 m 3:27.49 SB
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (heats) 400 m 52.06
5th 4×400 m 3.27.05 (NR h[n 3])
2017 European Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 4th 4x400 m 3:32.87
European Team Championships Lille, France 4th 400 m 52.36
World Championships London, United Kingdom (heats) 400 m 53.00
(heats) 4x400 m 3:27.81 SB
2018 Mediterranean Games Tarragona, Spain 3rd 400 m 52.14
1st 4x400 m 3:28.08 GR
European Championships Berlin, Germany (semifinals) 400 m 52.26 [n 4]
5th 4x400 m 3:28.62
2019 IAAF World Relays Yokohama, Japan 3rd 4×400 m 3:27.74 SB
European Team Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 3rd 400 m 52.19
3rd 4x400 m 3:27.32 SB
World Championships Doha, Qatar (heats) 400 m 52.63
(heats) 4x400 m 3:27.57
  1. Finishing the race without the baton
  2. Time from the heats; Chigbolu was replaced in the final
  3. Italian squad set the national record in the heats with a time of 3:25.16 sec. It would have been 3rd result in the final
  4. Chigbolu clocked season's best time of 51.76 sec in the heats

National individual competitions

See also

References
  1. "Maria Benedicta Chigbolu". Fidal.it (in Italian). FIDAL. 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  2. "Athletics - CHIGBOLU Maria Benedicta". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  3. FQ (2018-07-02). "Giochi del Mediterraneo, chi sono le ragazze medaglia d'oro nella staffetta 4×400 diventate un simbolo sui social". il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-07-03. Reclutata nell'Esercito, ora si allena a Rieti ed è fidanzata con un quattrocentista, Matteo Galvan.
  4. "DécaNation 2015 – Results". bases.athle.fr (in French). French Athletics Federation. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
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