Born:8 January 1969

Birthplace:Bosco Chiesanuova (Italy)

Nationality:Italy

Sport:Cycling

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Atlanta 1996

Sydney 2000

Athens 2004

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 2

Mountain Biking Pioneer

The decision to add mountain biking to the Olympic programme was taken in 1993, less than twenty years after it was created as a sport and only six years after the staging of the first world championships.

Paola Pezzo won her first world championship in 1993 and was one of the favourites for the inaugural Olympic mountain biking contest in 1996. Early in the race, Pezzo fell in a hairpin turn and scraped her knees. She remounted quickly and gradually caught up with the leaders. Shortly after the 11-kilometre mark in the 31.9km race, during an uphill stretch, she powered into the lead so fast that the other racers knew they were in trouble. Sure enough, Pezzo kept pulling away until her lead reached 1 minute 42 seconds, and she won by 1 minute 7 seconds.

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Barbara Blatter of Switzerland led after the first of five laps, Russia's Alla Epifanova after the second and two-time defending world champion Margarita Fullana of Spain after the third. The critical moment of the race came late in the fourth lap.

Pezzo passed Blatter to move into second place. Then she pulled alongside Fullana. On a downhill section, Pezzo and Fullana collided. Fullana went down. Pezzo came out of her pedals, but stayed upright, moved into the lead and drove to the finish line, never to be caught. Pezzo returned to the Olympics in 2004, but did not finish the race.

　　生日：1969年1月8日

　　出生地：意大利

　　国籍:意大利

　　项目:自行车

　　参加奥运会时间：

　　1996年美国亚特兰大夏季奥运会

　　2000年澳大利亚悉尼夏季奥运会

　　2004年希腊雅典夏季奥运会

　　奥运成绩:

　　金牌 2枚

　　山地自行车运动先锋

　　1993年，在山地自行车运动创立20年，世锦赛举行6年后，山地自行车运动第一次被列为奥运会正式比赛项目。来自意大利的自行车运动保拉-佩佐在1993年获得世锦赛冠军，因此在1996年美国亚特兰大奥运会上，她被认为是夺冠的热门。在比赛中一个发夹弯时，佩佐从自行车上跌落下来，扭伤了膝盖，但她仍然坚持比赛，并很快赶上领先运动员。她在11公里处的一个上破路段超过其他运动员，取得领先，并最终以1分7秒的优势夺冠。2000年悉尼奥运会上，佩佐在第四圈超过其他运动员，并最终获胜，夺取个人第二枚奥运金牌。佩佐还参加了2004年雅典奥运会，但没有完成比赛。

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