Valentina Vezzali
Italian fencer and politician
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Key Takeaways
- Maria Valentina Vezzali ( Italian pronunciation: [valenˈtiːna vetˈtsaːli] ; born 14 February 1974) is an Italian politician and retired Olympic and World Champion foil fencer.
- She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summer Olympic Games to have won five medals in the same individual event.
- In 2013, Vezzali became a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies as part of the Civic Choice party.
- Fencing As a child, she was first trained in fencing by her father, and then by the sword master Ezio Triccoli.
- Vezzali won nine Olympic medals in all: five in individual foil (three gold, one silver, one bronze) and four in team foil (three gold, one bronze).
Maria Valentina Vezzali (Italian pronunciation: [valenˈtiːna vetˈtsaːli]; born 14 February 1974) is an Italian politician and retired Olympic and World Champion foil fencer. As a fencer, Vezzali won six Olympic gold medals and was a 16-time World Champion in foil. She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summer Olympic Games to have won five medals in the same individual event. She is widely considered to be the greatest women’s foilist in fencing history.
In 2013, Vezzali became a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies as part of the Civic Choice party. In 2021, she became Italy's cabinet undersecretary in charge of sports.
Fencing
As a child, she was first trained in fencing by her father, and then by the sword master Ezio Triccoli.
Vezzali was the first fencer in Olympic history to win three individual foil gold medals at three consecutive Olympics – Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. Vezzali won nine Olympic medals in all: five in individual foil (three gold, one silver, one bronze) and four in team foil (three gold, one bronze). She medaled in all five of her Olympic appearances from 1996 to 2012; she attempted to qualify for Rio 2016 at the age of 41, but did not gain enough points. Vezzali has the fourth-most Olympic medals (9) of any Italian athlete and the most of any female summer Olympian from Italy, behind fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti (13), short-track speed skater Arianna Fontana (11) and cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo (10).
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