Alberto Cova
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Alberto Cova (born December 1, 1958) is a former Italian athlete, winner of 10 000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Born in Inverigo, Como province, Italy, Alberto Cova had a devastating sprint finish, and the only way to nullify this was to set a very fast pace from the start to finish.
Cova got his first fame at the 1982 European Championships in Athens, where he surprisingly outsprinted the main favourite Werner Schildhauer from East Germany, to win his first international championship title. In the next year, Cova wasn't the main favourite at the first World Championships held in Helsinki, but was considered as a possible medal winner. The 10 000 m final at Helsinki was run in slow pace, with thirteen runners still in a leading pack at the bell. With only 30 metres to go, Cova was only in fifth place, but then sprinted forward to win. Schildhauer finished in second place.
The 10 000 m final at the Los Angeles Olympics began at an even slower pace than at Helsinki, and it seemed that none of Cova's rivals had learned their lesson, because only after the 7 km mark, Martti Vainio from Finland, picked up the speed. Cova managed to follow him, and Vainio couldn't sustain his own fast pace, so Cova easily swept past him after the bell and sprinted to the line to win his last international title.
At the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart, Cova was beaten at his own game, when he was outsprinted by fellow countryman Stefano Mei on the last lap of the 10 000 m final. Cova never won a major race after that, and came tenth in his heat and failed to qualify for the final at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, at his last international competition.
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