Leonardo Fabbri

Leonardo Fabbri Early Life and Early Career

Leonardo Fabbri has established himself as one of the world’s best shot putters over the past several seasons. His personal best of 22.98 meters is an Italian record.

Fabbri was born into an athletic family in the Florence metro area. His mother was a swimmer, and his father was a sprinter. He tried several different sports as a child, including artistic gymnastics, basketball, and soccer, before eventually settling on athletics, and more specifically, the throws.

Fabbri saw early success in his athletics career, winning the Italian Championships (cadet category) for shot put in 2012. The next year, as part of the Italian national team, he took third place in the shot put at the European Youth Championships held in Utrecht, Netherlands.

The next year, in 2013, he qualified for the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, finishing seventh.

Later Career

Fabbri continued to excel at the youth and junior levels and went on to win the Mediterranean Under-23 Championships in 2019. Fabbri won his first senior title in 2017 in Trieste and won again in 2020, as well as in 2023–2025. He also won the indoor national title in 6 out of 8 years from 2018–2025.

At a meeting in Vicenza in 2019, he threw 20.99 meters to qualify for his first World Championships. He placed thirteen overall in the preliminary round of the Championships with a throw of 20.75 meters, unfortunately just missing the final despite throwing a distance that would usually qualify.

Fabbri broke 21.00 meters for the first time in 2020 with a toss of 21.26 meters at the Memorial Todaro. His personal best lasted two days before he threw 21.57 meters in Sweden. At the Italian Championships in Padua, he raised his personal best yet again to 21.99 meters to put him in the number two spot on the Italian all-time list.

Like with many athletes, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Fabbri’s 2020 season, and the Olympics were postponed by a year. Unfortunately for Fabbri, he was plagued with injuries through 2021 and 2022, including a sports hernia, which, in his own words (translated from Italian) rendered him in “pitiful shape” at the 2022 World Championships. He finished eighth in his qualifying section of the Olympics in 2021.

Fabbri returned to better form in 2023, winning his first international medal at the senior level. His throw of 22.34 meters was enough to capture silver at the 2023 World Championships behind the American World Record holder Ryan Crouser.

He continued to improve through 2024, setting an Italian indoor record and the second farthest European throw of all time in 2024 with 22.37m. He won bronze at the Indoor World Championships in Glasgow the next month.

His throw of 22.88 meters in Modena on May 1, 2024, was the seventh-longest throw in history. He improved upon this two weeks later with a throw of 22.95 meters.

One of the current highlights of his career is winning the gold medal at the 2024 European Championships on home soil in Rome with a championship record of 22.45 meters. He finished fifth at the Olympics several months later.

At the 2024 Diamond League Final in Brussels, he threw 22.98 meters to improve upon his own Italian record and win the competition. The throw currently ranks him fifth of all time.

Fabbri ended his 2025 season with another World Championship podium finish, capturing bronze with a throw of 21.94m.

Leonardo Fabbri | Personal Life

Fabbri is a football fan and supports the Italian club Fiorentina.

Through his youth, he trained with former Italian discus thrower Franco Grossi in Florence before joining the athletics team of the Centro Sportivo Aeronatica Militare (Club of the Italian Air Force) at the age of 20. The next year, he moved to Bologna to train with Paola Dal Soglio.  

In an interview from 2023, he said, “I eat whole wheat pasta no more than once a day, alternating it with rice. I’ve eliminated carbonated and sugary drinks. And even though I’m always on the go, I’ve become rigorous and fussy about my diet.” [translated from Italian]

FAQS | Leonardo Fabbri

How Tall is Leonardo Fabbri? | Leonardo Fabbri Height | Leonardo Fabbri altezza

Leonardo Fabbri is listed as 200 centimeters (6’7″) on his bio for the 2024 Olympics. 

What is Leonardo’s Weight? Leonardo Abbri Peso | Leonardo Fabbri Height and Weight

Leonardo Fabbri is listed as 130 kilograms (286lbs) on his bio for the 2024 Olympics.