ran the final leg. In 1972 he set an indoor world record in the 400 metres with 46.1 seconds. But Banner and his charge concluded that Fiasconaro lacked the speed for the 400 m, and should concentrate on the 800 m instead. In 1973 Fiasconaro broke the Italian 800 m record five times, and won the South African Championships over the same distance at Potchefstroom. During the same year he equalled Dicky Broberg's South African record of 1.44.7 – a joint feat that survived for 25 years afterwards. Fiasconaro was a favourite to win the 800 metre at the 1974 European Championships in Rome. After leading for over 600 metres at a fast pace, he got tired and was passed by the surprise winner, Yugoslavia's Luciano Susanj. In the home straight Fiasconaro fell back to sixth place.<ref>Siukonen, Markku, Matti Ahola et al. (eds.) (1990). Suuri EM-kirja: yleisurheilun EM-kisat 1934–1990. [The Great European Championships in Athletics Book]. Jyväskylä, Finland: Sportti-Kustannus.</ref> In 1974 Fiasconaro participated in 800 metres in the Sunkist Invitational Indoor Track Meet in Los Angeles. World record The most outstanding moment in Fiasconaro's career came in the evening of 27 June 1973, in Milan. The favourite was Jozef Plachý, a Slovak who had reached the 1968 final and the 1972 semi-final in the 800 m at the Olympic Games. Plachý possessed a devastating finish. Banner and Fiasconaro's tactics were to go out fast. The plan nearly backfired when Plachý managed to stay with Fiasconaro for most of the race, before finally falling back over the last 150 metres. On his return to South Africa, Fiasconaro went on 10-day partying spree. He paid the toll for his overindulgence when he was easily beaten in the United States soon afterwards. In trying to recapture his form, he overtrained. A stress fracture in his foot signalled the beginning of the end of his brief meteoric career. At the 1974 European Championships, he developed problems with his Achilles tendon. The constant injuries and pressure to compete led him to take a year-long sabbatical from athletics. Fiasconaro's world record of 1:43.7 seconds was beaten at world level three years later, but is still the Italian record – perhaps the longest-lived Italian athletics record in any discipline. Other sports and acting In 1973 he play in My Way in role of a runner. He returned to play rugby union in Italy in 1976, playing with