Luigi Beccali (19 November 1907 – 29 August 1990) was the first Italian to win an Olympic gold medal in running, in the 1500 metres at the 1932 Summer Olympics, and the first Italian to win a European Championship title in athletics.

[1] Born in Milan, Luigi Beccali, as a youth, was fascinated by cycling and track and field athletics, but choose the latter, when he met the coach Dino Nai.

[1] Luigi Beccali, an Italian champion in 1500 m from 1928 to 1931, became a national hero overnight when he won the Olympic 1500 m gold at Los Angeles.

Beccali finished third behind Reg Thomas in the 1 mile event at the British 1930 AAA Championships.

He also won the Italian championships from 1934 to 1938 in 1500 m and at 1935 in the 5000 m. Beccali was originally a council surveyor, responsible for road maintenance.