ROME (AP) — Pietro Mennea, a former Italian sprinter who held the world record in the 200 meters for nearly 17 years, has died. He was 60.
The Italian Olympic Committee made the announcement, saying Mennea died in a Rome clinic on Thursday. No cause of death was given.
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Mennea won gold in the 200 and bronze in the 4×400 relay at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, plus a bronze in the 200 at the 1972 Munich Games.
Mennea set the record of 19.72 seconds on Sept. 12, 1979, in Mexico City. The mark lasted until Michael Johnson ran 19.66 on June 23, 1996, at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Usain Bolt holds the current 200 record of 19.19.
CONI president Giovanni Malago announced that Mennea’s body would lie in state at Olympic committee headquarters.
