pietro paolo mennea (; 28 june 1952 – 21 march 2013) was an italian sprinter and politician. he was most successful in the 200 m event, in which he won a gold medal at the 1980 moscow olympics and set a world record at 19.72 seconds in september 1979. this record stood for almost 17 years – the longest duration in the event history – and is still listed as the european record.