Salvatore Rinella

Salvatore Marcello Rinella (Italian pronunciation: [salvaˈtoːre riˈnɛlla]; born February 27, 1975, in Palermo) is a retired amateur Italian freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's middleweight category.[3] He won three bronze medals in the 69 and 74-kg division at the Mediterranean Games (1997, 2001, and 2005), and also represented his nation Italy at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Having worked as a police officer for Polizia di Stato, Rinella trained full-time for the wrestling squad at Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Oro in Rome, under head coach Mauro Massaro.[2][4]

Salvatore Rinella
Personal information
Full nameSalvatore Marcello Rinella
Nationality Italy
Born (1975-02-27) February 27, 1975
Palermo, Italy
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
StyleFreestyle
ClubFiamme Oro[1]
CoachMauro Massaro[2]
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Italy
Mediterranean Games
Bronze medal – third place1997 Bari69 kg
Bronze medal – third place2001 Sofia69 kg
Bronze medal – third place2005 Almería74 kg

Biography

Rinella qualified for the Italian squad in the men's 74 kg class at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Earlier in the process, Rinella received a ticket to the Olympics by defeating Tajikistan's Yusup Abdusalomov for a third spot at the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.[5][6] He easily ousted Australia's Ali Abdo in his opening match on technical superiority, but fell behind Belarus' Murad Haidarau by a 2–4 deficit at the end of the prelim pool. Finishing second in the pool and seventh overall, Rinella's performance was not enough to advance him to the quarterfinals.[7][8]

In 2005, Rinella overcame his Olympic setback with a third career bronze medal in the same class at the Mediterranean Games in Almería, Spain.[9] He also sought his bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but failed to earn a spot from the Olympic Qualification Tournament, effectively ending his sporting career.

References
  1. "Fiamme Oro discipline sportive - Lotta" (in Italian). poliziadistato.it. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  2. "CONI Profile – Salvatore Rinella" (in Italian). Italian National Olympic Committee. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Salvatore Rinella". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  4. "Lotta: Fiamme oro ancora campioni d'Italia" [Wrestling: Fiamme Oro is still the Italian champion] (in Italian). Polizia di Stato. December 4, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  5. Abbott, Gary (July 15, 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 74 kg/163 lbs. in men's freestyle". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  6. "Lotta: A Sofia Salvatore Rinella è terzo si qualifica per Atene nello stile libero" [Wrestling: Salvatore Rinella placed third in Sofia; qualifies for Athens in freestyle] (in Italian). Lo Sport Italiano. February 4, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  7. "Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 74kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. August 15, 2004. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  8. "Olimpiadi, lotta libera: eliminato Salvatore Rinella nei 74kg" [Olympics: Salvatore Rinella eliminated in 74kg freestyle wrestling] (in Italian). La Repubblica. February 28, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  9. "Castro y Atanes, quintos en lucha, lejos de las medallas" [Castro and Atanes finished fifth in wrestling; out of medal podium] (in Spanish). Terra Networks. June 29, 2005. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
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