Alberto Cova
Encyclopedia
Alberto Cova (born December 1, 1958) is a retired Italian
athlete, winner of the 10,000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics
.
, province of Como
, Italy, Alberto Cova was characterized by his superiority in the sprint finish, and the only way to nullify this was to set a very fast pace from the start to finish.
Cova got his first fame at the 1982 European Championships in Athens
, where he surprisingly outsprinted the main favourite Werner Schildhauer
from East Germany, to win his first international championship title. In the next year, Cova wasn't the main favourite at the first World Championships
held in Helsinki
, being considered only as a possible medal winner. The 10,000 m final at Helsinki was run in slow pace, with thirteen runners still in a leading pack at the bell. With only 30 metres to go, Cova was only in fifth place, but then sprinted forward to win. Schildhauer finished in second place. The top four runners sprinted to the finish line in 0.33 seconds (see Yleisurheilun MM-kisat Helsingissä / Athletics World Championships in Helsinki, edited by the Juoksija/Runner magazine, Helsinki: 1983).
The 10,000 m final at the Los Angeles
Olympics began at an even slower pace than at Helsinki. At the 6 km mark, Martti Vainio
from Finland
, picked up the speed. Cova managed to follow him, and Vainio couldn't sustain his own pace, so Cova swept past him after the bell and sprinted to the line to win his last international title (see, for example, Tapio Pekola et al., eds., Suuri Suomalainen Olympiakirja/The Great Finnish Olympic Book, Helsinki: Juoksija-lehti (Runner magazine)/Laaseri, 1984).
At the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart
, Cova was beaten at his own game, when he was outsprinted by fellow countryman Stefano Mei
on the last lap of the 10,000 m final. Cova never won a major race after that, and came tenth in his heat (thereby failing to qualify for the final) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul
. This was his last international competition.
In the 1983 World Athletics Championships 10,000-metre final, there actually were seven men in the lead group at the bell (see the
related video clip "Finns Near the Top" / Suomalaisia lähellä huippua in the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation YLE's Living Archives
/ Elävä arkisto, with the following links: Sports / Urheilu, Athletics / Yleisurheilu, World Championships / MM-kisat, 1983 World
Championships / MM-kisat 1983; the website is www.yle.fi/elavaarkisto/).
In the 1984 Olympics 10,000-metre final, Finland's Martti Vainio picked up the speed shortly before the 6 kilometre mark (see, for
instance, The Great Olympic Book / Suuri Olympiateos, volume 4, published in Finland in 1984).
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
athlete, winner of the 10,000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
.
Career
Born in InverigoInverigo
Inverigo is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about southeast of Como...
, province of Como
Province of Como
The Province of Como is a province in the north of the Lombardy region of Italy and borders the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grigioni to the North, the Italian provinces of Sondrio and Lecco to the East, the Province of Milan to the south and the Province of Varese to the West...
, Italy, Alberto Cova was characterized by his superiority in the sprint finish, and the only way to nullify this was to set a very fast pace from the start to finish.
Cova got his first fame at the 1982 European Championships in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, where he surprisingly outsprinted the main favourite Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer is a retired German track and field athlete, who represented the former East Germany at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow in the 10,000 meter run and placed 7th behind his team mate Jörg Peter .-Career:At the...
from East Germany, to win his first international championship title. In the next year, Cova wasn't the main favourite at the first World Championships
1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....
held in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, being considered only as a possible medal winner. The 10,000 m final at Helsinki was run in slow pace, with thirteen runners still in a leading pack at the bell. With only 30 metres to go, Cova was only in fifth place, but then sprinted forward to win. Schildhauer finished in second place. The top four runners sprinted to the finish line in 0.33 seconds (see Yleisurheilun MM-kisat Helsingissä / Athletics World Championships in Helsinki, edited by the Juoksija/Runner magazine, Helsinki: 1983).
The 10,000 m final at the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Olympics began at an even slower pace than at Helsinki. At the 6 km mark, Martti Vainio
Martti Vainio
Martti Sakari Vainio is a former Finnish long distance runner. In Finland he is recognized as the last of the great runners of famous "V-line", the previous ones being Juha Väätäinen, Lasse Virén, and Pekka Vasala...
from Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, picked up the speed. Cova managed to follow him, and Vainio couldn't sustain his own pace, so Cova swept past him after the bell and sprinted to the line to win his last international title (see, for example, Tapio Pekola et al., eds., Suuri Suomalainen Olympiakirja/The Great Finnish Olympic Book, Helsinki: Juoksija-lehti (Runner magazine)/Laaseri, 1984).
At the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Cova was beaten at his own game, when he was outsprinted by fellow countryman Stefano Mei
Stefano Mei
Stefano Mei is an Italian long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 and 10000 metres.-Achievements:-References:*...
on the last lap of the 10,000 m final. Cova never won a major race after that, and came tenth in his heat (thereby failing to qualify for the final) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres
The men's 10,000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entrylist of 48 competitors, with two qualifying heats before the final took place on Monday September 26, 1988.-Medalists:-Records:...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. This was his last international competition.
In the 1983 World Athletics Championships 10,000-metre final, there actually were seven men in the lead group at the bell (see the
related video clip "Finns Near the Top" / Suomalaisia lähellä huippua in the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation YLE's Living Archives
/ Elävä arkisto, with the following links: Sports / Urheilu, Athletics / Yleisurheilu, World Championships / MM-kisat, 1983 World
Championships / MM-kisat 1983; the website is www.yle.fi/elavaarkisto/).
In the 1984 Olympics 10,000-metre final, Finland's Martti Vainio picked up the speed shortly before the 6 kilometre mark (see, for
instance, The Great Olympic Book / Suuri Olympiateos, volume 4, published in Finland in 1984).