13 Facts About Roberto Marson

Roberto Marson was an Italian multisport athlete who competed at the Summer Paralympics on four occasions and won a total of 26 Paralympic medals.

Roberto Marson lost the use of his legs when a pine tree he was chopping down fell on his back.

Roberto Marson is included in Visa Paralympic Hall of Fame of the International Paralympic Committee.

Roberto Marson competed in three different sports: athletics, wheelchair fencing and swimming.

Roberto Marson finished fourth in both of the freestyle swimming events in which he competed.

At the 1968 Summer Paralympics held in Tel Aviv, Israel, Roberto Marson was proclaimed the outstanding athlete of the Games after winning ten gold medals; three in athletics field events, three in swimming and four in wheelchair fencing.

Roberto Marson successfully defended the Paralympic javelin and discus titles that he had won in Tokyo and added a third athletics gold medal in the club throw and a bronze in the shot put.

In 1972 at the Paralympics in Heidelberg, Roberto Marson contested a single athletics event and four wheelchair fencing events.

Roberto Marson finished fourth in the men's discus 4 event with the gold being won by Canadian Eugene Reimer.

Roberto Marson failed to win medals in either of his athletic events or the individual wheelchair fencing events, but did take a bronze medal in the men's team epee.

Roberto Marson was President of Federazione Italiana Sport Handicappati from 1980 until 1990.

Roberto Marson died in 2011 and in 2012 he was inducted into the International Paralympian Hall of Fame.

On 14 May 2021, Jovian asteroid 39795 Roberto Marson, discovered by astronomers at Spacewatch in 1997, was named in his memory.