7 May 2025

By Göran R Buckhorn

Giuseppe Moioli, Italian Olympic champion in the coxless four, passed away on 5 May at age 97.

Giuseppe Moioli was born in Olcio di Mandello Lario, Italy, in 1927. When Moioli started working at the motorbike manufacturer Motor Guzzi, he also joined the company’s rowing club, Canottieri Moto Guzzi. The club formed a coxless four with Moioli, Elio Morille, Giovanni Invernizzi and Franco Faggi. They trained hard on Lake Como. When the crew was picked to represent Italy at the European Championships on the Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1947, the four had never rowed outside of their home waters. To everyone’s surprise, the Moto Guzzi crew won the gold medal.

The following year, they repeated their victory in the boat class at the Olympic rowing in Henley, where the Italian crew was followed by Denmark and the USA. Moioli also competed at the Olympic Games in 1952 and 1956, but he never ended up on the Olympic podium again. He was a substitute for the coxless four and eight at the Games in 1960.

Giuseppe Moioli also won gold medals in the coxless four at the European Championships in 1949, 1950, 1954 and 1956. He also became European champion in the eight in 1958.

After Moioli hung up his oar, he took up a successful career as coach at Motor Guzzi.

Moioli was awarded the Gold Medal of the Italian Olympic Committee for his athletic values in 2015.

In a comment, rowing historian and writer Peter Mallory writes:

My chapter in The Sport of Rowing covering Moto Guzzi was one of my favorite to research and write.  I got to meet Giuseppe Moioli and Franco Faggi during the 2012 Olympics when they visited the 1948 Olympic finish line at Henley. I told them in my rusty Italian that I was a huge fan, and they posed for an awkward photo. RIP.

Giuseppe Moioli, born on 8 August 1927, died on 5 May 2025.