Massimo Stano

Massimo Stano
Stano in 2021
Personal information
Nickname
Jetsy
National teamItaly (15 caps)[1]
Born (1992-02-27) 27 February 1992
Grumo Appula, Italy
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight66 kg (146 lb)
Sport
CountryItaly Italy
SportAthletics
Event
Racewalking
ClubG.S. Fiamme Oro (2011-)
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • 5000 m race walk short track: 19:22.62 (2015)
  • 10,000 m race walk: 37:33.03 (2025) ER
  • 10 km walk: 39:06 (2023)
  • 20 km walk: 1:17:26 (2024) NR
  • 35 km walk: 2:20:43 (2025) WR
  • Marathon race walk: 3:07:38 (2026)
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 0
World Championships 1 0 0
World Team Championships 0 2 1
European Race Walking Team C'ships 2 1 1
European U23 Championships 0 1 0
Total 4 4 2
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 20 km walk
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Eugene 35 km walk
World Team Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Taicang 20 km walk (team)
Silver medal – second place 2026 Brasília Marathon walk (team)
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Taicang 20 km walk
European Race Walking Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Poděbrady 20 km walk (team)
Gold medal – first place 2025 Poděbrady 35 km walk
Silver medal – second place 2021 Poděbrady 20 km walk (team)
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Poděbrady 20 km walk

Massimo Stano (born 27 February 1992) is a male Italian racewalker. He competed in the 20 kilometres walk event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, finishing in the 19th position,[2] and the same event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, finishing in first place.[3] On 24 July 2022, Stano won the 2022 World Athletics Championships with a championship record.

He is the world record holder of 35 km race walk.[4]

Career

Born in Grumo Appula, he grew up in Palo del Colle. He started with athletics at 11 years-old with the Fiamma Olimpia Palo, middle-distance running mainly, then starting at 14 years-old to practise racewalking with his coach Giovanni Zaccheo. His club becomes for 4 years the Atletica Aden Exprivia Molfetta, the town where he trained. In 2011, he became a policeman as member of the Fiamme Oro. His first big athletics result comes from the 2013 European Athletics U23 Championships in Tampere where he finished initially fourth, but where he won first the bronze medal, then the silver after the doping disqualification of 2 Russians. To improve his results, he left Palo for Sesto San Giovanni taking a new coach, Alessandro Gandellini.

With too many injuries, he finally decided to change again of location and went to Castel Porziano, working and training in the barracks of the Fiamme Oro. His new coach becomes Patrizio Percesepe. Very quickly, he started having better results: he won the national championships with a personal best, he finished third at the 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships in Taicang, China and 4th at the European Championships in Berlin, finishing at only 1 second from the podium. In June 2019, he established the new national record of 1:17:45, but then, he finished only 14th at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. 2020 was also a difficult year with more injuries (periostitis) and with Covid pandemic he started again walking at the European Cup in Poděbrady on 16 May 2021 where he finished 8th.[5]

In 2021 he won the gold medal in 20 km race walk at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2022 he won the 35 km race walk event 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene.[6] In 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris he finished 4th at the 20 km walk event, and 6th at the Marathon race walk mixed relay event with Antonella Palmisano.

Personal life

In 2016, Stano married Moroccan athlete Fatima Lotfi. They have a daughter, Sophie, and live together in Rome.[7]

Statistics

World records

  • 35 km race walk: 2:20:43 Czech Republic Poděbrady, 18 May 2025 - Current holder[4]

European records

National records

  • 20 km race walk: 1:17:45 (Spain A Coruña, 8 June 2019) - Current holder[9]
  • 35 km race walk: 2:20:43 Czech Republic Poděbrady, 18 May 2025 - Current holder[4]

Achievements

Individual
Year Competition Venue Rank Event Time Notes
2018 World Team Championships China Taicang 3rd 20 km race walk 1:21:33
2021 Olympics Games Japan Tokyo 1st 20 km race walk 1:21:05
2022 World Championships United States Eugene 1st 35 km race walk 1:21:05 CR ER
2023 European Team Championships Czech Republic Poděbrady 3rd 20 km race walk 1:20:07
2025 European Team Championships Czech Republic Poděbrady 1st 35 km race walk 2:20:43 WR
2026 World Team Championships Brazil Brasilia 5th Marathon race walk 3:07:38 PB

National titles

Stano won five national championships at senior level.[1]

  • Italian Athletics Championships
    • 10,000 m race walk: 2025
    • 10 km walk: 2018
    • 20 km walk: 2015, 2018, 2022[10]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The record was broken by Gabriel Bordier on 2 August 2025

References

  1. ^ a b "Massimo Stano - Biografia". fidal.it (in Italian). Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  2. ^ "Men's 20 kilometres walk heats results" (PDF). IAAF. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  3. ^ "STANO Massimo". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Stano smashes world 35km race walk record in Podebrady". World Athletics. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  5. ^ Buongiovanni, Andrea (5 August 2021). "Massimo Stano: marciatore per passione, musulmano per amore". Gazzetta.it (in Italian).
  6. ^ "Athletics: Walker Stano adds world title to Olympic crown - TopNews - Ansa.it". Agenzia ANSA. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Chi è Fatima Lotfi, la moglie e collega di Massimo Stano: Medaglia d'oro nella marcia 20 km". ilriformista.it (in Italian). 5 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Atletica: Stano vince a Prato con nuovo record europeo 10 km". ansa.it (in Italian). 15 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  9. ^ "Stano primatista italiano dei 20 km di marcia". fidal.it (in Italian). 12 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019. Annullati tutti risultati conseguiti da Alex Schwazer a far data dal 18 marzo 2012. L'1h17:45 ottenuto dall'azzurro delle Fiamme Oro sabato scorso a La Coruna è record nazionale assoluto
  10. ^ "Marcia: Stano e Trapletti campioni della 20km". fidal.it (in Italian). 4 March 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
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