Michele Frangilli
Italian archer with Olympic gold and 11 world titles.
Michele Frangilli (born 1 May 1976) is an Italian archer from Gallarate. He earned a bronze medal in the men's team event at the 1996 Summer Olympics and placed sixth in the individual competition. Four years later, at the 2000 Games, he took silver with the Italian team and finished tenth individually. In 2003, he won the World Target Archery Championships in the Recurve (Olympic) division in New York. At the 2004 Olympics, he advanced to the round of 32 in the individual event before losing to eventual silver medalist Hiroshi Yamamoto of Japan, ending up 31st overall; the Italian men's team placed seventh. Frangilli clinched the men's team gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics by scoring a 10 with his final arrow, defeating the United States in a dramatic final.
He has won 11 World Champion titles in recurve bow across Indoor, Target, and Field Archery disciplines, making him the only recurve archer to achieve world champion status in all three specialties for both individual and team events. He was once ranked world number one in men's recurve. In 2005, he co-authored *The Heretic Archer*, a book on Olympic archery technique, with his father and coach, Vittorio Frangilli. Using his nickname "GILLO," he registered a brand for archery products called "GILLO Gold Medal" in 2014.
Frangilli holds the current world record for 25 meters, 60 arrows (300+298=598), set on 21 November 2001 in Gallarate. He formerly held the 18-meter, 60-arrow record (597), set on 13 January 2001 in Nîmes, France. He also holds the current world record for a 36-arrow final round (358), set on 3 March 2004 in Caorle, Italy. He was knighted by the Italian government.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1 May 1976
- Birth Place
- Gallarate, Lombardy, Italy
- Header Color
- lightsteelblue
- Show Medals
- no
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Michele Frangilli was born in Gallarate, Italy. He competed in three Olympic Games, earning a bronze medal in the team event in 1996, a silver in the team event in 2000, and a dramatic team gold in 2012, where he scored a 10 with the last arrow to defeat the United States. In individual competition, his best finish was 6th place in 1996. He also competed in 2004, reaching the round of 32 before losing to eventual silver medalist Hiroshi Yamamoto, finishing 31st overall; the Italian men's team placed 7th that year.
Beyond the Olympics, Frangilli won the World Target Archery Championships for Recurve Division in New York in 2003. He has accumulated 11 World Champion titles across Indoor, Target, and Field Archery, making him the only recurve archer to achieve world titles in all three disciplines for both individual and team. He was a former world number one ranked men's recurve archer. In 2005, he co-authored a book on Olympic archery technique, The Heretic Archer, with his father and coach, Vittorio Frangilli. In 2014, he registered a brand for archery products under his nickname 'GILLO' called 'GILLO Gold Medal'.
Reader's Guide
Michele Frangilli's significance lies in his rare combination of Olympic success and unprecedented world championship achievement. He is the only recurve archer in history to win World Champion titles in all three specialties—Indoor, Target, and Field Archery—for both individual and team events, totaling 11 world titles. His Olympic career spanned three Games, culminating in a team gold medal in 2012 won with a dramatic final arrow. He also earned a team bronze in 1996 and a team silver in 2000. His individual Olympic performance peaked at 6th place in 1996. Frangilli held multiple world records, including the 25-meter 60-arrow record and the 36-arrow final round record. He was knighted by the Italian government. His legacy extends to coaching and authorship, having co-written The Heretic Archer with his father, and to entrepreneurship through his archery brand. His career exemplifies sustained excellence across competitive formats and decades.
Did You Know?
- He scored a 10 with the last arrow to win the men's archery team gold medal final against the US at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
- He is the only recurve archer to win World Champion titles in Indoor, Target, and Field Archery for both individual and team.
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