View source for Josefa Idem

{{Short description|German-born Italian canoeist and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox sportsperson 
| name           = Josefa Idem
| image          = Josefa Idem Senato.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = 
| fullname       = Josefa Idem Guerrini
| nationality    = Italian
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1964|09|23|df=yes}}
| birth_place    = [[Goch]], West Germany
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| hometown       = [[Santerno]], Italy
| height         = {{convert|176|cm|ftin}}
| weight         = {{convert|67|kg|lb}}
| country        = {{ITA}}
| sport          = [[Canoeing]]
| event          = [[Canoe racing]]
| club           =
| coach          = [[Gugliemo Guerrini]]
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Women's [[Canoe racing|canoe sprint]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{FRG}} }}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]]|[[Canoeing at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's K-2 500 metres|K-2 500 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1989 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1989 Plovdiv]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1989 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1989 Plovdiv]]|K-1 5000 m}}
{{MedalCountry | {{ITA}} }}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold|[[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]]|[[Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's K-1 500 metres|K-1 500 m]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]]|[[Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's K-1 500 metres|K-1 500 m]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Canoeing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's K-1 500 metres|K-1 500 m]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]]|[[Canoeing at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's K-1 500 metres|K-1 500 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1990 Poznań]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalGold|[[1991 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1991 Paris]]|K-1 5000 m}}
{{MedalGold|[[1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1998 Szeged]]|K-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalGold|[[2001 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2001 Poznań]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalGold|[[2001 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2001 Poznań]]|K-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1990 Poznań]]|K-1 5000 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1997 Dartmouth]]|K-1 200 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1997 Dartmouth]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1997 Dartmouth]]|K-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1998 Szeged]]|K-1 200 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1999 Milan]]|K-1 200 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1999 Milan]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1999 Milan]]|K-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2006 Szeged]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1991 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1991 Paris]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1994 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1994 Mexico City]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1998 Szeged]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2002 Seville]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2002 Seville]]|K-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2009 Dartmouth]]|K-1 500 m}}
}}

'''Josefa Idem''' married '''Guerrini'''<ref>[http://www.senato.it/leg/17/BGT/Schede_v3/Attsen/00029112.htm Idem's profile on senato.it] {{in lang|it}}</ref> (born 23 September 1964) is an Italian [[canoe sprint]]er turned [[politics|politician]]. Competing in eight [[Summer Olympics]], she has five medals. Winning 35 international medals during her career, Idem was the first Italian woman to win [[ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|World Championships]] (22 total, five gold) and Olympic medals in canoe sprint. At the [[2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2009 world championships]], she became the oldest medalist in the history of the world championships.

After her retirement, she was elected in 2013 as member of [[Italian Parliament|the Italian Parliament]] for the [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]], and successively named [[Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities|Minister for Equal Opportunities, Sport and Youth Policies]] as part of the cabinet of [[Enrico Letta]]. On 24 June 2013, she resigned from the charge because of judicial investigation on allegedly unpaid taxes.

==Biography==
Josefa Idem was born in [[Goch]], [[West Germany]], and began paddling at the age of eleven. In 1977, aged thirteen, she competed at the European Championships in [[Plovdiv]] and won gold medals over 200, 500 and 1000 metres as well as a bronze medal in doubles kayaking ("K-2") with Ravetta Rosette. In the following years she focused mainly on her language school education but competed for West Germany at the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles]], winning a bronze medal in the K-2 500 m with [[Barbara Schüttpelz]]. The next year, Idem switched to the K-1 events.

At the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympics]] in [[Seoul]], she finished ninth in the K-1 500 m and fifth with the West German quartet in the K-4 500 m. In November the same year Idem moved to Italy where she eventually met [[Gugliemo Guerrini]], her present husband and coach. The cooperation paid off as she won two bronze medals at the [[1989 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1989 World Championships]] in Plovdiv, the city where she won her first international medals.

Idem married Guerrini in 1990 and hence became an Italian citizen in 1992. She competed for Italy at the [[1992 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] the same year, placing fourth. Four years later, however, at the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympics]] in [[Atlanta]], she won the bronze medal in the K-1 500 m event.

This was the beginning of her most successful period: from [[1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|1997]] to [[2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2002]] she won three World Championships titles (as well as 10 silver and bronze medals), five European titles and finally the Olympic gold medal in [[Sydney]] [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]]. In 2003, she gave birth to her second child, but she returned to compete in the K-1 500 m at the Games in [[Athens]] in 2004, winning the [[silver medal]].

In her seventh Olympic appearance, at the 2008 [[Olympic Games]] in [[Beijing]], at the age of 43, she won her fifth medal, the silver in K-1 500 m; after leading for much of the latter part of the race, she was overtaken at the very end by the Ukrainian kayaker, losing to her in a photo finish by only four thousandths of a second, 1:50.677 to 1:50.673. After the race she said that she wanted to continue until the [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Olympics in London]]. Idem qualified for the 2012 Olympics and ultimately achieved a [[Canoeing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's K-1 500 metres#Final A|5th place in the finals]].

Today Idem lives in Santerno (in the [[province of Ravenna]]), with Guglielmo Guerrini and their two children.

==Political involvement==
From 2001 to 2007 she served as [[Ravenna]] city councillor delegate for sports (''assessore'' in Italian), as member of the centre-left [[The Olive Tree (Italy)|Olive Tree]]. She then became a member of the [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]], being then named a parliamentary candidate for the Senate after winning the party's 2012 primary elections. She was elected into Parliament as a result of the [[2013 Italian general election|2013 general election]].

On 28 April 2013, she was named a [[minister without portfolio]] for equal opportunities and sports as part of a [[grand coalition]] [[Letta Cabinet|cabinet]] headed by Democratic Party member [[Enrico Letta]]. However, she resigned two months later on 24 June due to legal charges over allegedly unpaid taxes.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/josefa-idem-tritt-nach-steueraffaere-zurueck-a-907630.html ''Josefa Idems Steueraffäre: Italiens deutsche Ministerin tritt zurück'']. Spiegel Online, 24 June 2013 (German)</ref>

Idem has also been involved in social work, most prominently as a spokesperson for [[Emergency (NGO)|Emergency]] as well as Associazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla, an organization for [[multiple sclerosis]] patients.

==Olympic medals==
For [[Germany]]:
* [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]]: Bronze K2 500 m

For [[Italy]]:
* [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]]: Bronze K1 500 m
* [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]]: Gold K1 500 m
* [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]]: Silver K1 500 m
* [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]: Silver K1 500 m

==See also==
*[[List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games]]
*[[Italy at the Olympics#Women gold medalist|Italian sportswomen multiple medalists at Olympics and World Championships]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105013709/http://canoeicf.com/site/canoeint/if/downloads/result/Pages%201-41%20from%20Medal%20Winners%20ICF%20updated%202007-2.pdf?MenuID=Results%2F1107%2F0%2CMedal%5Fwinners%5Fsince%5F1936%2F1510%2F0 |date=5 January 2010 |title=Kamber, Raymond, ed. (2008). Medal Winners – Olympic Games and World Championships (1936–2007) – Part 1: flatwater (now sprint). ''CanoeICF.com''. International Canoe Federation. pp. 1–41 |url2=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113142416/http://www.bcu.org.uk/files/Pages%201-41%20from%20Medal%20Winners%20ICF%20updated%202007-2.pdf |date2=13 January 2016 |title2=BCU.org.uk}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://www.webcitation.org/5l9vPO85Y?url=http://www.canoeicf.com/site/canoeint/if/downloads/result/Pages%2042-83%20from%20Medal%20Winners%20ICF%20updated%202007.pdf?MenuID=Results%2F1107%2F0%2CMedal%5Fwinners%5Fsince%5F1936%2F1510%2F0 |date=9 November 2009 |title=Kamber, Raymond, ed. (2008). Medal Winners – Olympic Games and World Championships (1936–2007) – Part 2: rest of flatwater (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines. ''CanoeICF.com''. International Canoe Federation. pp. 42–83 |url2=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311071809/http://bcu.org.uk/files/pages%2042-83%20from%20medal%20winners%20icf%20updated%202007.pdf |date2=11 March 2016 |title2=BCU.org.uk}}
* {{Cite web |editor-last=Kamber |editor-first=Raymond |editor-link=Raymond Kamber |date=2008 |url=https://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/results_history_-_complete_medal_winners_icf_updated_2007.pdf |title=Medal Winners – Olympic Games and World Championships (1936–2007) |website=CanoeICF.com |publisher=[[International Canoe Federation]] |pages=1–83 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518200125/https://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/results_history_-_complete_medal_winners_icf_updated_2007.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2018}}
* {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/id/josefa-idem-guerrini-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417112452/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/id/josefa-idem-guerrini-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Josefa Idem}}
* {{cite web |author=Infostrada Sports |year=2004 |title=Josefa Idem, 2004 Olympics official bio |url=http://www.athens2004.com/en/ParticipantBiography?pid=1730059 |website=athens2004.com |access-date=12 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051102030827/http://www.athens2004.com/en/ParticipantBiography?pid=1730059 |archive-date= 2 November 2005}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818003557/http://zap.norex.ca/bio/athlete/459/ |date=18 August 2009 |title=Canoe09.ca profile }}

==External links==
* {{sports links}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020917195203/http://www.josefaidem.info/ |title=Official website |date=dmy}}

{{Navboxes
|title=Related
|list1=
{{Letta Cabinet}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Women K-1 500 m}}
{{Footer World Champions Canoe Sprint K-1 500 m Women}}
{{Footer World Champions Canoe Sprint K-1 1000 m Women}}
{{Footer World Champions Canoe Sprint K-1 5000 m Women}}
{{Walk of Fame of Italian sport}}
{{Authority control}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Idem, Josefa}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Canoeists from Düsseldorf (region)]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Italian female canoeists]]
[[Category:Olympic canoeists for Italy]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Italy]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Italy]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Italy]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in canoeing]]
[[Category:ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Women government ministers of Italy]]
[[Category:Letta Cabinet]]
[[Category:Democratic Party (Italy) politicians]]
[[Category:Italian city councillors]]
[[Category:Members of the Senate of the Republic (Italy)]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:21st-century Italian women politicians]]
[[Category:Women members of the Senate of the Republic (Italy)]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian sportswomen]]