Italian sport mourns the passing of Franco Menichelli, who passed away at the age of 85. Having been born in Rome on August 3, 1941, the "Blue Angel" of artistic gymnastics wrote indelible pages of history with five Olympic podiums: bronze in the team event and on the floor exercise at the 1960 home Olympics, where he competed alongside Giovanni Carminucci, Angelo Vicardi, Pasquale Carminucci, Gianfranco Marzolla, and Orlando Polmonari. The Roman athlete (photo by FGI) performed even better in Tokyo 1964, winning bronze on the parallel bars, silver on the rings, and an extraordinary gold medal in floor exercise. The trophy cabinet of one of the greatest gymnasts of all time also includes three world championship medals and 14 European medals (six of them gold). Menichelli was welcomed into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2003 and got the Golden Collar for Sporting Merit from CONI in 2015, the highest accolade in Italian sport. After retirement, he continued to devote his body and soul to his favorite sport, coaching the men's national team from 1973 to 1979.