Francesco Mariani
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Italian |
| Born | 2001 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Orienteering |
| Club | Polisportiva Giovanni Masi |
Francesco Mariani (born 2001) is an Italian orienteer who competes in foot orienteering. He won the sprint title at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in 2021 and the men’s sprint at the 2026 FISU World University Championship Orienteering.[1][2]
Mariani has represented Italy at senior international level, including the World Orienteering Championships, where he finished sixth in the sprint in 2026.[3] He has also competed at the World Games, where he won the silver medal in the middle distance in 2025.[4]
Career
Mariani is from Perugia and studied statistical sciences at the University of Bologna.[5] He was selected for the Italian youth national team during his teenage years and emerged as one of Italy’s leading young orienteers.[6]
His breakthrough international result came in 2021, when he won the gold medal in the sprint at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Turkey.[7] According to later Italian coverage, he was the first Italian athlete to win a world title in orienteering.[8]
In 2025, Mariani won the silver medal in the middle distance at the World Games.[9] The result further established him among the leading Italian orienteers of his generation.
In 2026, Mariani finished sixth in the sprint at the 2026 World Orienteering Championships in Genoa.[10] Later that month, he won the men’s sprint at the 2026 FISU World University Championship Orienteering in Vila Real, Portugal, in 15:05, ahead of Sweden’s Linus Wernström and France’s Guilhem Verove.[11]
At domestic level, Mariani won the Italian sprint title in 2026.[12]
Rankings and profile
Mariani has an IOF Eventor athlete profile listing his nationality as Italy and his year of birth as 2001.[13] His World of O profile lists him among Italy’s leading international competitors and records major results in sprint and World Cup competition.[14]
References
- ↑ Uno studente Unibo campione del mondo in Orienteering, University of Bologna Magazine.
- ↑ Francesco Mariani è campione mondiale universitario di orienteering: storico oro nella Sprint ai FISU World University Championship, CUSI.
- ↑ WOC2026: Mariani fantastico 6° posto nella sprint mondiale, FISO.
- ↑ ORIENTEERING - Francesco Mariani: dal primo oro mondiale juniores all’argento ai World Games, YouTube.
- ↑ Uno studente Unibo campione del mondo in Orienteering, University of Bologna Magazine.
- ↑ ORIENTEERING - Francesco Mariani: dal primo oro mondiale juniores all’argento ai World Games, YouTube.
- ↑ Uno studente Unibo campione del mondo in Orienteering, University of Bologna Magazine.
- ↑ ORIENTEERING - Francesco Mariani: dal primo oro mondiale juniores all’argento ai World Games, YouTube.
- ↑ ORIENTEERING - Francesco Mariani: dal primo oro mondiale juniores all’argento ai World Games, YouTube.
- ↑ WOC2026: Mariani fantastico 6° posto nella sprint mondiale, FISO.
- ↑ Francesco Mariani è campione mondiale universitario di orienteering: storico oro nella Sprint ai FISU World University Championship, CUSI.
- ↑ Francesco Mariani e Caterina Dallera sono i campioni italiani sprint, FISO.
- ↑ Francesco Mariani – IOF Eventor
- ↑ Francesco Mariani, World of O.
