Giovanni Pettenella

Giovanni Pettenella ( born March 28, 1943 in Caprino Veronese, † 19 February 2010) was an Italian racing cyclist.

In 1962 Giovanni Pettenella Italian Amateur Sprint Champion, winning two years later along with Giordano Turrini national championships in tandem race. At the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964, he won the sprint race and the gold medal in the time trial over 1000 meters silver medal. He defeated in the final of his compatriot Sergio Bianchetto 2-0 runs. Previously, he had won the semi-final against Frenchman Pierre Trentin 2-1 runs. The scoring of the two drivers standing test of 21 minutes and 57 seconds duration is considered to be the longest of the Olympic cycling history. After the race a doping test was arranged by the jury, which, however Cycliste by the Italian President of the International Cycling Union International Union, Adriano Rodoni, was prevented.

In the Italian Championships in 1968 reached Pettenella, against his opponent in the final of Tokyo, Sergio Bianchetto, driving, a standing time of one hour and five minutes. Bianchetto broke it on 63 minutes due to heat exhaustion unconscious together while Pettenella two more minutes remained standing, waiting for the medical examination Bianchettos and thus the decision on the final outcome. In the same year he won the bronze medal in the sprint at the World Cycling Championships train the professionals.

After Pettenella, who had been originally poultry, had in 1975 ended his active career, he worked until 1987 as Technical Director of the Velodromo Maspes - Vigorelli and in the meantime as Italy coach. Later he worked as an owner of a bicycle shop in Milan.

The Japanese game developers Shigesato Itoi named the Nintendo game Mother 2 a character Penetella Giovanni, because he had been impressed by Pettenellas standing trial at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.