Ricky Petrucciani

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Ricky Petrucciani

Petrucciani (centre) in 2023
Personal information
Born	(2000-06-30) 30 June 2000 (age 24) Locarno, Ticino, Switzerland
Education	Collegio Papio
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	76 kg (168 lb)
Sport
Country	Switzerland
Sport	Athletics
Event	400 metres
Club	LC Zürich
Coached by	Flavio Zberg
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	400 m: 45.02 (Tallinn 2021) CR Indoors 400 m: 46.27 (Magglingen 2023)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Switzerland European Championships 2022 Munich 400 m European U23 Championships 2021 Tallinn 400 m European U20 Championships 2019 Borås 400 m

Ricky Petrucciani (Italian pronunciation: [petrutˈtʃaːni]; born 30 June 2000) is a Swiss sprinter specialising in the 400 metres.^[1] He won a gold medal at the 2021 European U23 Championships and a silver medal at the 2022 European Championships in the 400m category.^[2] He also reached the semifinals of the 2020 Olympics.

Ricky Petrucciani was born on 30 June 2000 in Locarno, Switzerland to a Brazilian mother and a Swiss father.

He began his athletic career in 2015 when he decided to switch from playing football to athletics. He explained the reason was because he "wanted to train for [himself] and not for a team, [he] wanted to achieve [his] results and not those of a team.” ^[3]

He started working with Flavio Zberg in 2017 and transferred clubs so that he could train with LC Zürich. His father, Maurizio, acts as his manager.^[4] Ricky graduated from Collegio Papio and serves as an ambassador for the Ascona-Locarno region.^[5]

Petrucciani claimed several national titles as a junior. He competed in the 400 metres at the 2016 Swiss U18 Championships, came in first place, and was named the champion for that year.

The following year, he collected six more titles at the 2017 Swiss U18 Championships for: the indoor 60 metres, outdoor 100 metres, indoor and outdoor 200 metres, and indoor and outdoor 400 metres.

He added yet another national title to his record in the 100 metres at the 2018 Swiss U20 Championships. He earned two extra titles in the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2019 Swiss U20 Championships.

He earned a gold medal in the 400 metres at the 2021 European U23 Championships, where he set a new championship record and a personal best of 45.02 that still stands to this day. He also ran the second leg of the 4 x 400 m relay, however, his team did not finish because of a mishap between the Dutch and British athletes that made the third Swiss runner trip during the race. The Swiss lost their lead within moments.^[6]

He was selected for the 2023 World Championships and ran the third leg of the mixed 4 x 400 m relay. But, ultimately, the Swiss team failed to advance to the final round. Later, he withdrew from his individual event in the 400 metres due to a hamstring problem that had not healed from the previous day's relay race. He did not want to injure himself, as well, ahead of Weltklasse Zürich, the Galà dei Castelli, and the 2024 Olympics.^[7]

• 60 metres indoor – 6.68 (Magglingen 2023)

• 100 metres – 10.24 (+0.2 m/s, Bern 2021)
• 200 metres – 20.72 (+0.3 m/s, Bern 2021)
  • 200 metres indoor – 21.50 (Magglingen 2021)
• 400 metres – 45.02 (Tallinn 2021) CR
  • 400 metres indoor – 46.27 (Magglingen 2023)

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
Representing  Switzerland
2016	European Youth Championships	Tbilisi, Georgia	21st (h)	400 m	49.75
			11th (h)	Medley relay	2:00.52
2017	European U20 Championships	Grosseto, Italy	10th (sf)	400 m	47.41
			6th	4 × 400 m relay	3:11.67
2018	World U20 Championships	Tampere, Finland	18th (sf)	400 m	47.39
			9th (h)	4 × 400 m relay	3:09.48
	European Championships	Berlin, Germany	– (h)	4 × 400 m relay	DQ
2019	European Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	16th (h)	400 m	47.83
	European U20 Championships	Borås, Sweden	3rd	400 m	46.34
2021	European Indoor Championships	Toruń, Poland	7th (sf)	400 m	46.72
	European U23 Championships	Tallinn, Estonia	1st	400 m	45.02	CR
			— (f)	4 x 400 m relay	DNF
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	14th (sf)	400 m	45.26
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	34th (h)	400 m	46.60
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	2nd	400 m	45.03
			– (h)	4 × 400 m relay	DNF
2023	European Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	20th (h)	400 m	47.32
	European Team Championships First Division	Chorzów, Poland	8th	4 x 400 m relay mixed	3:14.22	NR
	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	—	400 m	DNS
			11th (h)	4 x 400 m relay mixed	3:14.38	(44.61 split)
2024	European Championships	Rome, Italy	14th (sf)	400 m	45.47
			–	4 × 400 m relay	DQ

• Swiss Athletics Championships (3)
  • 400 metres — 2019, 2020, 2021
• Swiss Indoor Athletics Championships (4)
  • 60 metres — 2022
  • 400 metres — 2018, 2019, 2020

• List of Swiss records in athletics
• Switzerland at the Olympics

• Official site
• Ricky Petrucciani at World Athletics
• Ricky Petrucciani at Olympedia