Today exactly one month is missing (18 August 1920). Italy's first Olympic gold medal in the history of race walking.

We want to retrace in particular the facts that preceded those days also through the same words of Ugo Frigerio, who, by profession, we want to remember, was a typographer.

In 1920, two years after the First World War, the Olympic Games return with the VII edition.

The walking events have appeared at the Olympic Games from three editions:

- Athens (GRE) in 1906, when the 1.500m and 3.000m walk were held in two days in a row (30 April and 1 May).

On the first day there was the event on the 1,500m track walk (victory of George Bonhag, USA in 7:12.6) while on the second day when on the 3,000m track walk Gyorgy Sztantics, HUN won the gold in 15:13.2, despite having crossed the finish line in third position, following the disqualification of Robert Wilkinson (GBR) and Eugen Spiegler (AUS)

- London (GBR) in 1908, when the 3.500m track walk and then the 10 miles took place between 14 July and 17 July.

Double success for George Larner (GBR) with the following results: 14:55.0 on 3.500m and 1:15:57 on 10 miles on track which was also a world record

- Stockholm (SWE) in 1912 when it was disputed, probably due to the disputes related to the style (legacy that unfortunately we carry on, with few exceptions, even in our day), the Olympic test was covered to 10,000m track walk.

In a curious composition of the heats, with the four strongest all together, the four had no difficulty qualifying for the final.

In the final four laps from the end, George Goulding (CAN) takes the lead, winning in 46:28.4 (new world record). Francesco Altimani (ITA) won the bronze in 47:37.8, the first of the long history of Italy's Olympic medals.

There are 23 athletes entered for the first of the two walking events of the Antwerp Olympic Games in Belgium, that of the 10.000m track walk.

Two of them are Italian and from Milan: Ugo Frigerio and Donato Pavesi.

Ugo Frigerio told in his 1928 article on "Fascist sport" as he arrived at the Olympic final

The start of the Olympic year was not too happy for me. In frequent competitions the battle was unleashed vehemently and not always my young energies supported me to reduce the offensive strength of the opponents. However, my presence always aroused admiration and enthusiasm for my stylistic qualities.

And it was precisely the style that was the predominant factor that put the experts of that time in a position not to preclude me from collegiate training. Even during these trainings my star was always my stepmother. In each test I was always dominated clearly by Pavesi.

The criteria and methods that prevailed in that gathering did not suit my body and my spirit. Mr. Platt Adams (editor's note: endorsed by a short-sighted Federation) and some federal expert they wasn’t in my favor. Fortunately influential friends and people of sure competence watched over my fate.

In the meantime, time was pressing and the qualifying sessions followed one another more frequently. But the outcome was always the same for me. It now seemed acquired that the two representatives of Italy had to be Altimani and Pavesi. I was somewhat discouraged, but well advised, I adopted other criteria in training. In short, I got favorable results.

The last elimination preceding the date of the definitive closing of the registrations was favorable to me. In fact, in a 10 km race, after having forced Altimani to retire, I beat Pavesi convincingly. From this moment, however, an occult battle began to my detriment: you didn't want me at all costs. But at the end sporting sense prevailed, and off I went. 

(Omissis)

Of course, I didn't think about racing too much. I was told and demonstrated in a thousand ways that I was in Antwerp for a gracious concession, that participating in the races for me was a simple matter of national duty. So no ambition animated me, no plans swirled in my head.

And then those exotic names of the opponents, with their past bristling with performances and records, inspired me: what? Respect, fear, awe? Mah! I didn't know it either. And then in my heat I also had Pavesi as an opponent, just what we didn't want.

In any case, I remember that I presented myself at the start, while I was trembling like a leaf with emotion. Alfine came the liberating “gun start”. I found myself in the fray unwittingly and without realizing it.

In developing the fight at some point I found myself in the very first position struggling with Pearmann (American) and Parker (Australian). The first, a guy as long as a giraffe and skinny, preceded me, while the Australian as big as an ox and blowing like a bellows, he bumped into me. I remember that I had the impression that there was an agreement between the two and that Parker had above all the intention of taking off my shoes. Then I forced away. And I won.

General was the surprise. For me, however, no lively sensation. Not even the joy of triumph. It is to him that my spirit was not prepared for much. I only realized that I had won the right to participate in the final test, like Pavesi who had finished fourth.

Frigerio in fact won the first heat with the amazing time of 47:06.2/5 before the jury realized that all the athletes had made only 24 laps instead of 25.

The time should have been around 49.10 for the entire 10.000m track walk event, in any case very good also comparing it with that of the winner of the second heat, the  William Hehir, GBR (in 51:33.8).

In the final (with 11 athletes at the start) the American Joseph Pearman led the race in the first part for about 10 of the 25 laps. Frigerio (the first km. was covered in 4:28), after reaching it, he caught a breath for a turn and then suddenly forced the pace making them empty behind him; he won with more than half a turn of advantage.

Finally the tape was broken by my heaving chest. I stopped almost dreamily. It was a moment. I immediately took a handkerchief from the three colors that my coach handed me and with my gaze turned to the flag of my homeland that majestic with its sparkling colors waved: I shouted loudly and repeated loudly “Viva l’Italia“.

But revenge was not accomplished. I went back to the Italian house, as simple as I had left a few hours earlier. Hugs and cheers met me; but crossing the threshold of the room that reminded me of the homeland and the distant family, I remembered the bad episode of the days before. I stopped, raised my arm and still with the tricolor handkerchief in my fist, I shouted with more force, with more clarity, with greater faith “Viva l’Italia”. The shame was washed. 

After a few days of well-deserved rest, I competed again in the same stadium and for the same title of Olympic champion. In fact, I won the battery and the final of the three kilometer race.

The adventure of the other Italian participant Donato Pavesi was not as fortunate: he was disqualified by the Australian judge (at that time the judges were independent in the disqualifications), after he had risen to third position. On the finish straight he pulled him by the arm and removed him from the race in front of the press stand.

At the 1920 Antwerp Games and the subsequent 1924 Paris Games, Ugo Frigerio won all the gold on race walking. In 1928, in Amsterdam, race walk was excluded from the Olympic program, so he decided to temporarily abandon the official competitions to return on the occasion of Los Angeles 1932, where he conquered (at 31 years old, who do not have the same "personal value" as the 31 years of today, it is clear ...) the bronze medal in the 50 km, distance that made its Olympic debut on that occasion.

The full story of Ugo Frigerio's three Olympic victories which he released to "Lo Sport Fascista" in 1928, issue 1 (in italian only): clich here