Maria Benedicta Chigbolu

Maria Benedicta Chigbolu (born 27 July 1989)^[1] is an Italian sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in 4 × 400 m relay.^[2]

Maria Benedicta Chigbolu

Maria Chigbolu in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Maria Benedicta Chigbolu
Nationality	Italian
Born	(1989-07-27) 27 July 1989 (age 36) Rome, Italy
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight	55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Country	Italy
Sport	Track and field
Event	Sprint
Club	G.S. Esercito
Coached by	Maria Chiara Milardi
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	400 m: 51.67 (2015) 4x400 m: 3:25.16 (2016, NR)
Medal record European Championships 2016 Amsterdam 4x400 m IAAF World Relays 2019 Yokohama 4×400 m European Team Championships 2019 Bydgoszcz 400 m 2019 Bydgoszcz 4x400 m Mediterranean Games 2018 Tarragona 400 m 2018 Tarragona 4x400 m 2013 Mersin 400 m 2013 Mersin 4×400 m

Biography

Maria Chigbolu was born in Rome to an Italian mother and a Nigerian father. She has five siblings. Her grandfather Julius Chigbolu was a Nigerian athlete, who competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics, and later became president of Athletics Federation of Nigeria.^[1] She is engaged with the Italian sprinter Matteo Galvan.^[3]

Career

Besides medals in the 400 metres and 4 × 400 m relays from the 2013 and 2018 Mediterranean Games, Chigbolu won a bronze in the individual event at the 2016 European Championships.

She was a member of the 2016 Olympics squad, which set the Italian national record at the 4x400 metres with a time of 3:25.16 sec.

Chigbolu took bronze medals at the 2019 World Relays (4 × 400 m), and at the 2019 European Team Championships (400 m and 4 × 400 m).

At the Italian Championships, she won 1 time in the 400 metres (2017), 8 times in the 4 × 400 m relay, and twice in the indoor relays (4 × 200 m, 4 × 400 m).

Achievements

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
2013	Mediterranean Games	Mersin, Turkey	2nd	400 m	52.66	PB
			1st	4 × 400 m	3.32.44	SB
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	DQ (final)	4 × 400 m	DQ	170.6[n 1]
2014	European Championships	Zürich, Switzerland	7th	4 × 400 m	3:31.31	[n 2]
2015	European Indoor Championships	Prague, Czech Republic	(heats)	400 m	54.17
	World Championships	Beijing, China	(heats)	400 m	52.48
			(heats)	4 × 400 m	3:27.07	SB
	DécaNation	Paris, France	5th	400 m	52.81	[4]
2016	European Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	(semifinals)	400 m	52.69
			3rd	4 × 400 m	3:27.49	SB
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	(heats)	400 m	52.06
			5th	4 × 400 m	3.27.05	(NR h[n 3])
2017	European Indoor Championships	Belgrade, Serbia	4th	4 × 400 m	3:32.87
	European Team Championships	Lille, France	4th	400 m	52.36
	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	(heats)	400 m	53.00
			(heats)	4 × 400 m	3:27.81	SB
2018	Mediterranean Games	Tarragona, Spain	3rd	400 m	52.14
			1st	4 × 400 m	3:28.08	GR
	European Championships	Berlin, Germany	(semifinals)	400 m	52.26	[n 4]
			5th	4 × 400 m	3:28.62
2019	IAAF World Relays	Yokohama, Japan	3rd	4 × 400 m	3:27.74	SB
	European Team Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	3rd	400 m	52.19
			3rd	4 × 400 m	3:27.32	SB
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	(heats)	400 m	52.63
			(heats)	4 × 400 m	3:27.57

1. Finishing the race without the baton
2. Time from the heats; Chigbolu was replaced in the final
3. Italian squad set the national record in the heats with a time of 3:25.16 sec. It would have been 3rd result in the final
4. Chigbolu clocked season's best time of 51.76 sec in the heats

National individual competitions

• Italian Championships
  • 400 m: (1) 2017

See also

• Italian all-time lists - 400 metres
• Italian national track relay team