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Josefa Idem

Josefa Idem
Josefa Idem.jpg
Personal information
Nationality Italian
Born (1964-09-23) 23 September 1964 (age 52)
Goch, West Germany
Residence Santerno, Italy
Height 176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 67 kg (148 lb)
Sport
Country  Italy
Sport Canoeing
Event(s) Canoe racing
Coached by Gugliemo Guerrini
Medal record
Women's canoe sprint
Representing  West Germany
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Los Angeles K-2 500 m
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Plovdiv K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Plovdiv K-1 5000 m
Representing  Italy
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney K-1 500 m
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens K-1 500 m
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta K-1 500 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1990 Poznań K-1 500 m
Gold medal – first place 1991 Paris K-1 5000 m
Gold medal – first place 1998 Szeged K-1 1000 m
Gold medal – first place 2001 Poznań K-1 500 m
Gold medal – first place 2001 Poznań K-1 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 1990 Poznań K-1 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 1997 Dartmouth K-1 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1997 Dartmouth K-1 500 m
Silver medal – second place 1997 Dartmouth K-1 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 1998 Szeged K-1 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1999 Milan K-1 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1999 Milan K-1 500 m
Silver medal – second place 1999 Milan K-1 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 2006 Szeged K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Paris K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Mexico City K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Szeged K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Seville K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Seville K-1 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Dartmouth K-1 500 m

Josefa Idem (born 23 September 1964 in Goch, West Germany) is a West German-born Italian sprint canoer turned politician. Competing in eight Summer Olympics, she has five medals. Winning 35 international medals during her career, Idem was the first Italian woman to win World Championships (22 total, five gold) and Olympic medals in canoe sprint. At the 2009 world championships, she became the oldest medalist in the history of the world championships.

After her retirement, she was elected in 2013 as member of the Italian Parliament for the Democratic Party, and successively named Minister for Equal Opportunities and Sports as part of the cabinet of Enrico Letta. On 24 June 2013, she resigned from the charge because of judicial investigation on allegedly unpaid taxes.

Josefa Idem began paddling at the age of eleven. In 1977, aged thirteen, she competed at the European Championships in Plovdiv and won gold medals over 200, 500 and 1000 metres as well as a bronze medal in doubles kayaking ("K-2") with Ravetta Rosette. In the following years she focused mainly on her language school education but competed for West Germany at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, winning a bronze medal in the K-2 500 m with Barbara Schüttpelz. The next year, Idem switched to the K-1 events.

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, she finished ninth in the K-1 500 m and fifth with the West German quartet in the K-4 500 m. In November the same year Idem moved to Italy where she eventually met Gugliemo Guerrini, her present husband and coach. The cooperation paid off as she won two bronze medals at the 1989 World Championships in Plovdiv, the city where she won her first international medals.


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