Ubaldo Ranzi

Ubaldo Ranzi (18 July 1970) is a former Italian decathlete and bobsledder who competed in the late 1990s and the early 2000s.

Biography
Born in England to an Italian father and a British mother, he won a gold medal in the two-man event at the 1999 FIBT World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo and won a silver medal (with Gunther Huber), in 2000 always in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Before starting his bobsleigh career he collected 6 caps in Italy national athletics team from 1993 to 1996. Ranzi held the fourth performance of all-time of Italy in the speciality of the decathlon.

Doping and world champion medal
In 1998 Ranzi was found positive for doping at the Italian decathlon championships. While waiting for the counter-analysis, he was allowed to compete in the world bobsleigh championships, a sport in which he had only four months of training. Going as a reserve in the two-man bob, he incredibly won the world gold medal as he found himself replacing the titular brakeman Enrico Costa injured in the heat.

Even more strange is the fact that the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) has even awarded the athlete who instead perhaps should not have even participated in those world bobsleigh championships, because he was positive for doping, therefore, as per regulation, prohibited from participating in competitions in that sport. (athletics) pending counter-analysis and possible disqualification, obviously not in another sport (bobsleigh).

National titles
Ubaldo Ranzi has won one time the individual national championship.
 * Athletics
 * 1 win in the decathlon (1993)