Salvatore Antibo

Salvatore Antibo (born February 7, 1962) is a former long distance runner from Italy.

Career

Antibo was born in Altofonte, in the province of Palermo (Sicily).

He revealed as a consistent middle distance runner in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, when he arrived fifth in the 10,000 m final. His national popularity was however overshadowed by his compatriot Alberto Cova, who won the gold medal. After a bronze medal at the 1986 European Championships, behind Stefano Mei and again Cova, he gained the status of Italian number one winning the silver medal over 10,000 m at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

At the 1990 European Championships in Athletics in Split he was victorious over both 10,000 m and 5,000 m, becoming one of the most popular sportsmen in his country. He was famous for his unorthodox tactics. In Split, he won the 10,000 m through front-running and the 5,000 m with a sprint on the final straight.

In the 10,000 m final at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo, which Antibo had entered as one of the favourites, he tried to shock his opponents by varying the pace with little sprints. However, these efforts failed. Antibo quickly dropped behind in the later stages of the race, which was won by Moses Tanui ahead of Richard Chelimo and Khalid Skah. However, Antibo's late in the race was so high that it raised suspicions about his health. It was eventually revealed that such sudden, absences during the races were related to a form of epilepsy.

He retreated from professional athletics after his return from the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Personal bests

*5,000 m : 13:05.59 (1990)
*10,000 m : 27:16.50 (1989)