In short, I have a research paper to write on the History of Italian distance running. I need your help.
My Big Questions:
who was the best Italian runner of all time, and why? I'm leaning towards Alberto Cova. Salvatore Antibo had the potential to be the best but suffered epilepsy at the height of his career. What about Mei, Penneta, and Lambruscini?
How does Italian distance running effectively work? I gather it has a lot to do with clubs like Groupo Sportivo and Pro Patria. Training seemed to be focussed in the Northern provinces. Is /was there any collegiate running in Italy? Who are/ were the big running coaches? Rondelli is the only big name coach that I've seen so far.
The BIG question for my paper--Italian running was really good in the 80's, maybe top 8 countries at the time (?), so what happened? Why doesn't Italy produce good runners any longer? Did they give up when the East Africans began to dominate? Did the club or Olympic team system change? Did support for running die? What HAPPENED?
Any info is much appreciated. I can't read Italian, but links or archived pages would be great too! I'm having trouble finding sources beyond the IAAF pages. Thanks in advance! I will post the paper when it is finished.