Sante Gaiardoni

Sante Gaiardoni ( born June 29, 1939 in Villafranca di Verona, Veneto) is an Italian former racing cyclist who in 1960 won two Olympic gold medals.

1958 and 1959 was Sante Gaiardoni second place in both the Sprint amateurs at the railway - Cycling World Championships behind Valentino Gasparella. In both years he won the Italian championship in tandem race.

1960 Gaiardoni was Italian Champion in the sprint and in the 1000 -meter time trial. In the same year he won the world title in the sprint. At the Olympics 1960 he drove in the 1000 -meter time trial in 1:07,27 minutes a new world record and won with one and a half seconds ahead of the Germans Dieter Gieseler. In the sprint he defeated in the final of the Belgian Leo Sterckx and won his second gold medal.

In November 1960 Gaiardoni was professional. In 1962, he lost in the finals at the World Championships in the sprint against his compatriot Antonio Maspes. A year later he was able to defeat in the World Cup finals Maspes. In 1964 he won his only professional title in the Italian championships in the sprint. 1966 and 1969, he came third in the World Cup. In 1970 he was again in the final, but lost there against Australian Gordon Johnson. His last match he played in February 1971 in Milan at the local six-day race.