Eseosa Desalu

Born in Casalmaggiore, Italy to Nigerian parents, Desalu originally focused on association football in his youth. However, he began to take up track and field around 2008, initially focusing on the sprint hurdles. His speed was better than his technique and he eventually focused on the 200 m instead. He gained full Italian citizenship in 2012.[2] A member of Gruppi Sportivi Fiamme Gialle – the sports club of Italy's police force – he made his international debut at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. However, he failed to progress beyond the heats.[3] He also ran with the 4×100 metres relay team, but they were also eliminated in the heats stage.[4]

Desalu's first international medal came at the 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships, where he was a relay bronze medallist on hoe turf in Rieti, running the anchor leg on a team of Giacomo Isolano, Lorenzo Bilotti and Roberto Rigali. He also managed fifth place individually in the 200 m.[5] His first senior medal followed at the 2014 European Team Championships, where he was part of the bronze medal-winning relay quartet alongside Massimiliano Ferraro, Diego Marani, and Delmas Obou.[6] He was selected both individually and for the relay for Italy at the 2014 European Athletics Championships. He was a semi-finalist in the 200 m, having set a best of 20.55 seconds in the heats, and was a finalist in the relay with Fabio Cerutti, Marani and Obou (although the Italians failed to finish).[5]

Desalu had his first appearance at global senior level at the 2015 IAAF World Relays, though the regrouped European Championships team did not make it past the heats. At the 2015 Military World Games he won the 200 m gold medal, a tenth of a second ahead of runner-up Serhiy Smelyk.[7] He came close to a second medal at the games in the relay, placing fourth with Cerutti, Obou and Matteo Galvan.[8]

In La Chaux-de-Fonds, he runs in 20.36 on 15 August 2020, best European performance of the year on 200 m. On 19 August, he improves at 20.35 (+1.3) at Bregyó Athletic Center, Székesfehérvár. On 4 September 2020, he becomes the first Italian to win a 200 m race event of the Diamond League during Memorial Van Damme in 20.39. [9]

• 60 metres – 6.76 seconds (2015)
• 100 metres – 10.33 seconds (2018)
• 200 metres – 20.13 seconds (2018)
• 110 metres hurdles – 14.20 seconds (2010)
• 60 metres hurdles – 7.86 seconds (2011)
• All information from European Athletics[10]

¹Did not finish in the final

• Italian all-time lists - 200 metres

• Eseosa Desalu at World Athletics
• Eseosa Desalu at FIDAL web site (in Italian)