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Livio Berruti (born May 19, 1939) is an Italian former athlete. He became the surprising winner of
the 200 m in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Born in Turin, Berruti, a chemistry student, was only
21 when he competed in the 1960 Olympics, which were held in front
of his home crowd in Rome. In the
semi-finals of the 200 m, he suddenly ran 20.5, equalling the
standing world
record for that distance. This made him a surprise outsider for
the final, later that day. In that race, Berruti, who was noted for
always running with black glasses and white socks, once again
clocked 20.5, beating the American favourites to the gold medal.
Anchoring the Italian 4 x 100 m relay team, Berruti narrowly missed
out on a second Olympic medal, finishing in 4th. His world record
was not beaten until June 1962, but his performance remained a European record for a further two years,
until 21 June 1964.
His Olympic victory, in the beginning of his career, would
remain his best achievement. His three appearances at the European
Championships only brought him a 7th place in the 1966 200 m final.
He did, however, win Italian titles in both the 100 and 200 m from
1957 until 1962, and two more 200 m titles in 1965 and 1968.
Berruti also made two more Olympic appearances, in 1964
and 1968. On both occasions, he
reached the final of the 4 x 100 m relay, and also placed 5th in
the 200 m final of 1964.
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