Courtesy of Luciano Cotena of the Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli and Nino Fazio of Baia di Grotta.
Luciano Cotena, President of the Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli, reported that Giulio Travaglio, an Italian marathon swimming star of the 1960s and 1970s and the Honorary Chairman of the event since 2003, passed away yesterday.
“Guilio was the first Italian winner of the competition, record holder of wins: 5 in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1970 and served as Honorary President since 2003, the year of his return to the competition after a long break of 10 years.
In the year of the 50th edition, our competition lost a dear friend, a champion, and a protagonist of the open water swimming world with his victories around the world between the mid-1960s and 1970s.
He battled serious illness for some time, but he always struggled with the discretion that characterized his career and life.”
After a successful competitive pool swimming career in the 1500m freestyle, the native of Naples, Italy sprinted onto the professional marathon swimming circuit and never stopped until he was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1966.
Travaglio won the 32 km (20-mile) Maratona del Golfo – Capri Napoli in 1965 (amateur), 1966, 1967 (see photo of finish above), 1968 and 1970. His first victory in 1965 is remarkable because he entered the swim as an amateur, but beat all the professional marathon swimmers.
He also participated in other World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation races including the 24 Heures La Tuque and won the 1966 overall World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation circuit.
He won numerous other races in Italy including the Crossing of The Gulf of Salerno, the Double-Crossing of the Procida Channel, the Torre Annunziata open water swim, the Dead Sea (from Bacoli to Naples) Crossing, the S. Martino Oxbow Swim in Naples, and the Traversata dello Stretto.
His career, however, culminated in the Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli that meant the most to him in his native Naples:
*12th edition on 11 July 1965 from Lido Ondine – Marina Grande to Rotonda Diaz, he finished second to Mahmoud Hanafi of Egypt (9:21:49) in 9 hours 25 minutes and 12 seconds among 18 swimmers (14 men and 4 women), as an amateur
*13th edition on 17 July 1966 from Lido Ondine – Marina Grande to Rotonda Diaz, he finished first in 8 hours 15 minutes and 13 seconds over Mahmoud Hanafi of Egypt in 9:05:24 among 21 swimmers (15 men and 5 women)
*14th edition on 16 July 1967 from Lido Ondine – Marina Grande to Piazza Vittoria, he finished first in 8 hours 37 minutes and 13 seconds over Judith De Njis of the Netherland in 8:55:13 among 14 swimmers (9 men and 5 women)
*15th edition on 14 July 1968 from Lido Ondine – Marina Grande to Piazza Vittoria, he finished first in 8 hours 12 minutes and 52 seconds over Antonio Scamardella of Italy in 8:26:06 among 20 swimmers (16 men and 4 women)
*17th edition on 12 July 1970 from Lido Ondine – Marina Grande to Piazza Vittoria, he finished first in 7 hours 32 minutes and 47 seconds over Daniel Sepiurka of Argentina in 7:52:53 among 31 swimmers (28 men and 3 women)
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