Agostino Abbagnale

Abbagnale was born in the hamlet of Messigno, Pompei, into the rowing dynasty headed by his elder brothers Giuseppe and Carmine. He began training on the Sarno river under their uncle-coach Giuseppe La Mura and by 19 had stroked the Italian eight to silver at the 1985 World Rowing Championships in Hazewinkel. ==Career==

Breakthrough and Seoul 1988 Selected for the men's quadruple sculls at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Abbagnale joined Gianluca Farina, Piero Poli and Davide Tizzano to win Italy's first Olympic sculling title in a time of 5 m 43.40 s, only minutes after his brothers triumphed in the coxed pair. After the medal ceremony, Abbagnale, who is a poor swimmer, jumped into the rowing lake and landed on one of his partners Davide Tizzano, knocking the gold medal out of his hand. It took scuba divers two days to recover the missing medal. Health setback and comeback Weeks later he was diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis linked to a congenital protein-C deficiency, forcing a five-year hiatus from competition. In 2000 coach-physician Giuseppe La Mura explained that lifetime anticoagulant therapy made banned substances "a lethal combination" for the rower, rebutting doping rumours. Abbagnale returned to the Olympic stage at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, teaming with Davide Tizzano to win the Gold in the double scull (2x). Persistent recurrences of thrombosis forced his retirement in 2003. ==Post-competitive career and honours==

Abbagnale became a national junior coach and technical consultant for the Italian Rowing Federation. In 2006, he was awarded the Thomas Keller Medal, given by FISA, the governing board for international rowing. The Thomas Keller Medal is awarded for an outstanding career in international rowing. Abbagnale's brothers Carmine and Giuseppe had been awarded the Thomas Keller Medal in 1997. == Achievements ==

• Olympic Medals: 3 Gold • World Championship Medals: 2 Gold and 2 Silver. • Thomas Keller Medal Awarded in 2006 for an outstanding career in international rowing. Olympic Games • 2000 – Gold, Quadruple Scull • 1996 – Gold, Double Scull • 1988 – Gold, Quadruple Sculls World Championships • 2002 – Silver, Double Scull • 1999 – 7th, Quadruple Scull • 1998 – Gold, Quadruple Scull • 1997 – Gold, Quadruple Scull • 1995 – 13th, Double Scull • 1987 – 11th, Quadruple Scull • 1985 – Silver, Eight ==Legacy==

Italian media routinely describe him as “il più grande canottiere italiano di tutti i tempi,” the greatest Italian oarsman of all time, citing both his longevity and his pioneering fight against serious illness. ==See also==