Maria Benedicta Chigbolu
Maria Chigbolu in 2016
Personal information
Full nameMaria Benedicta Chigbolu
NationalityItalian
Born (1989-07-27) 27 July 1989
Rome, Italy
Height1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
CountryItaly Italy
SportTrack and field
EventSprint
ClubG.S. Esercito
Coached byMaria Chiara Milardi
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • 400 m: 51.67 (2015)
  • 4x400 m: 3:25.16 (2016, NR)
Medal record
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place2016 Amsterdam4x400 m
IAAF World Relays
Bronze medal – third place2019 Yokohama4×400 m
European Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place2019 Bydgoszcz400 m
Bronze medal – third place2019 Bydgoszcz4x400 m
Mediterranean Games
Bronze medal – third place2018 Tarragona400 m
Gold medal – first place2018 Tarragona4x400 m
Silver medal – second place2013 Mersin400 m
Gold medal – first place2013 Mersin4×400 m

Maria Benedicta Chigbolu (born 27 July 1989)[1] is an Italian sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in 4 × 400 m relay.[2]

Biography

Maria Chigbolu was born in Rome to an Italian mother and a Nigerian father. She has five siblings. Her grandfather Julius Chigbolu was a Nigerian athlete, who competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics, and later became president of Athletics Federation of Nigeria.[1] She is engaged with the Italian sprinter Matteo Galvan.[3]

Career

Besides medals in the 400 metres and 4x400 m relays from the 2013 and 2018 Mediterranean Games, Chigbolu won a bronze in the individual event at the 2016 European Championships.

She was a member of the 2016 Olympics squad, which set the Italian national record at the 4x400 metres with a time of 3:25.16 sec.

Chigbolu took bronze medals at the 2019 World Relays (4x400 m), and at the 2019 European Team Championships (400 m and 4x400 m).

At the Italian Championships, she won 1 time in the 400 metres (2017), 8 times in the 4x400 m relay, and twice in the indoor relays (4x200 m, 4x400 m).

Achievements

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeNotes
2013 Mediterranean Games Mersin, Turkey 2nd 400 m 52.66 PB
1st 4×400 m 3.32.44 SB
World Championships Moscow, Russia DQ (final) 4x400 m DQ 170.6[n 1]
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 7th 4x400 m 3:31.31 [n 2]
2015 European Indoor Championships Prague, Czech Republic (heats) 400 m 54.17
World Championships Beijing, China (heats) 400 m 52.48
(heats) 4x400 m 3:27.07 SB
DécaNation Paris, France 5th 400 m 52.81 [4]
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands (semifinals) 400 m 52.69
3rd 4×400 m 3:27.49 SB
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (heats) 400 m 52.06
5th 4×400 m 3.27.05 (NR h[n 3])
2017 European Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 4th 4x400 m 3:32.87
European Team Championships Lille, France 4th 400 m 52.36
World Championships London, United Kingdom (heats) 400 m 53.00
(heats) 4x400 m 3:27.81 SB
2018 Mediterranean Games Tarragona, Spain 3rd 400 m 52.14
1st 4x400 m 3:28.08 GR
European Championships Berlin, Germany (semifinals) 400 m 52.26 [n 4]
5th 4x400 m 3:28.62
2019 IAAF World Relays Yokohama, Japan 3rd 4×400 m 3:27.74 SB
European Team Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 3rd 400 m 52.19
3rd 4x400 m 3:27.32 SB
World Championships Doha, Qatar (heats) 400 m 52.63
(heats) 4x400 m 3:27.57
  1. ↑ Finishing the race without the baton
  2. ↑ Time from the heats; Chigbolu was replaced in the final
  3. ↑ Italian squad set the national record in the heats with a time of 3:25.16 sec. It would have been 3rd result in the final
  4. ↑ Chigbolu clocked season's best time of 51.76 sec in the heats

National individual competitions

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Maria Benedicta Chigbolu". Fidal.it (in Italian). FIDAL. 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  2. ↑ "Athletics - CHIGBOLU Maria Benedicta". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  3. ↑ FQ (2018-07-02). "Giochi del Mediterraneo, chi sono le ragazze medaglia d'oro nella staffetta 4×400 diventate un simbolo sui social". il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-07-03. Reclutata nell'Esercito, ora si allena a Rieti ed è fidanzata con un quattrocentista, Matteo Galvan.
  4. ↑ "DécaNation 2015 – Results". bases.athle.fr (in French). French Athletics Federation. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
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