Turu Rizzo — il-Gzira, Malta
Posted by: 
prussel
N 35° 54.324 E 014° 29.819
33S E 454609 N 3973572
Statue of Arturo "Turu" Rizzo (1894-1961), a Maltese water polo player and open water swimmer, later sports teacher and physiotherapist
Waymark Code: WM136RT
Location: Malta
Date Posted: 09/29/2020
Views: 0
This approximately life-size bronze statue of Turu Rizzo on a masonry limestone pedestal stands in a small green area at famous il-Gzira waterfront.
It shows him in a swimsuit, which is decorated with many awards and medals.
Arturo "Turu" Rizzo (* March 13, 1894 in Sliema; † May 23, 1961) was a Maltese water polo player and open water swimmer, later sports teacher and physiotherapist.
At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Rizzo was part of the Maltese water polo team. The team finished fifth.
In the course of his life, Rizzo set several endurance world records in water treading, i.e. swimming on the spot without any aids. He secured his first record in 1926 when he swam for 24 hours without interruption. He was able to improve this world record three times, the last time in 1930 to 68 hours. The record had existed for 50 years before it was beaten by Rizzo's grandson Albert Rizzo in 1980.
In 1933 Rizzo tried to be the first person to swim from Sicily to Malta, but due to bad weather he had to abandon the undertaking three miles before the finish, Malta was already in sight. The full 54 mile distance was not completed until 1985 by Rizzo's countryman Nicky Farrugia.
source: wikipedia