A charismatic figure
Great figures in history—and the sporting world is certainly no exception—never need a special spotlight to make their presence felt. Ennio Mattarelli undoubtedly belonged to that category: he was undoubtedly one of those charismatic figures whose simple demeanor, on any occasion, was enough to delineate, almost by contrast, the inimitable singularity of his character. Ennio Mattarelli left us today, August 23, 2026, after celebrating his ninety-eighth birthday last August 5, almost perfectly synchronised with the centenary celebrations of the Italian Clay Pigeon Shooting Federation. The athlete from Bologna wrote some of the most important pages in the history of Italian clay pigeon shooting, racking up prestigious victories in the Olympic Trap.
Glorious career
His glorious career as an Italian athlete began in 1961 when he won the world championship title in Oslo, but naturally the Bolognese champion achieved fame of a far greater order with his success at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, when Ennio Mattarelli swept away all his opponents with a powerful 198/200. Then the Emilian champion was again the individual world champion in San Sebastian in 1969 and won several individual and team medals at world and European competitions until the early 1970s.
The sports lesson
That the straightforward simplicity that Mattarelli flaunted as a proud and legitimate boast was a genuinely spontaneous attitude is demonstrated by the fact that the Bologna-born champion chose to title his autobiography, published a few years ago, "Six Thousand Zeros," paradoxically privileging his shooting failures over a life actually filled with victories in every area. Ennio Mattarelli's sporting lesson, however, is certainly well encapsulated in the thoughts the Emilian athlete often expressed in countless interviews over the years. Mattarelli recounted that his approach to shooting had been casual, but that he immediately understood that the sport could stimulate his great competitive drive. Ennio explained that in his early days, he literally chased Liano Rossini—now a highly accomplished champion—far and wide across Italy because he considered the champion from Ancona a constant indicator of his level. Competing on the platform with the greatest specialist of the time—and imagining one day surpassing him, as indeed happened—represented for Mattarelli the true aspiration to continually improve, respecting the rigorous and exemplary application of the Olympic dictates.
The words of President Rossi
The words of Federal President Luciano Rossi, who commemorated Ennio Mattarelli with a message sent this morning from Taranto immediately after learning the news, effectively encapsulate the admiration the shooting world must pay to a legendary figure. "The sad news has finally arrived," Luciano Rossi declared. "Ennio is no longer with us. Summarizing in a single definition the many roles that Ennio Mattarelli fulfilled so impeccably is practically impossible. One above all: Olympian, of course! Which is the most prestigious attribute for an athlete who achieved an extraordinary competitive career, but how can we not now simultaneously celebrate his many other roles: a man of sports in the truest sense of the word, a sports manager and entrepreneur, also a brilliant inventor of important technical solutions for our sport, and then a very active protagonist in a long season of sporting rebirth in our country and above all: a friend. A friend of the entire shooting movement that for decades sought to identify with an unrivaled champion like him and followed him in his exploits. Circumstances compel me to remember Ennio Mattarelli as I am attending the Mediterranean Games in Taranto. Sporting history often forces us to experience some painful short circuit of this kind: Ennio experienced this event in various forms throughout his career and today, During this very event, it is up to us, the men and women of Italian clay pigeon shooting, with hearts full of sadness, to commemorate the figure of a man of sports who truly marked a very long period of our history. In expressing my personal condolences to the family of Ennio Mattarelli, those of the Federal Council, our Federation, and our entire sports movement, we also ideally sign together the promise that his sporting message will always be a firm reference point for our work, and the memory of his commitment will help fuel our passion for sport.” (source: FITAV).
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