Nino Borsari

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Nino Borsari (14 December 1911 – 31 March 1996) was an Italian cyclist who won a gold medal in the 4,000-metre team pursuit at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

He was born in Cavezzo, Italy, and grew up poor. After his mother Rosa Borsari was unmarried, he was raised by his aunts. A kind employer gave him his first racing bicycle, which changed his life. He became a youth cycling champion and earned a place on the Italian Olympic team.

In 1934, Borsari went to Australia to race. He settled there permanently in 1940, moving to Melbourne in 1941 and opening a bicycle shop in Carlton. He became a British subject in 1946. His shop, the Borsari Emporium, grew after the war, selling bikes and other goods.

Borsari stayed active in sports, competing in cycling and motor racing. He helped start the Juventus Soccer Club in 1948 and the International Cycling Club in 1952, which assisted new immigrants through cycling. He also helped Melbourne in its bid for the 1956 Olympic Games and promoted the city in Europe in 1955.

Known as the "King of Carlton" and the "Mayor of Little Italy," he was married to Fanny Cester in 1941, and they had two children. He survived a serious bicycle accident in 1978 and was widowed in 1988. He died in 1996 in Melbourne, aged 84.

In 1962, Borsari was knighted by Italy for promoting Italo-Australian sport and culture. Today, Borsari’s Corner at the junction of Lygon Street and Grattan Street in Carlton is marked by a neon sign of him, and nearby buildings include Borsari Ristorante and Borsari Cycles.