Valentina Vezzali Italian foil fencer Date of Birth: 14.02.1974 Country: Italy

1. Valentina Vezzali - six-time Olympic champion in women's foil fencing
2. Early Career and Achievements
3. Olympic Success and Continued Dominance
4. Life Beyond Sports

Valentina Vezzali - six-time Olympic champion in women's foil fencing

Valentina Vezzali, born on February 14, 1974, in Jesi, Italy, is an Italian foil fencer and a six-time Olympic champion. She has won 14 gold medals at the World Championships and 11 at the European Championships. Over the course of her 21-year career, Vezzali has accumulated a total of 28 gold medals from national-level competitions.

Early Career and Achievements

Vezzali started her fencing journey at the age of six, training at the 'Jesi' club under the guidance of her first coach, Ezio Trikkoli. At the young age of nine, she achieved her first significant victory, winning the Cadet World Championship three times from 1989 to 1991. After her success at the junior level, she transitioned to the senior league in 1992 and won the Italian Championship. However, her coaches decided against her rapid development in her career, and she was not included in the national team representing Italy in the Olympic Games of the same year.

In 1993, Vezzali began winning medals at the international level. She won a bronze medal at the European Championship in Linz, Austria, and two gold medals at the World Championship in 1994. Continuing to improve her skills, Vezzali emerged as a leader in the Italian national team and became one of the most successful, captivating, and promising foil fencers in the world. She clinched her first World Championship gold in 1995 and made her debut at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA, the following year. Although many predicted her unconditional victory, Vezzali fell short in the final bout against Romanian fencer Laura Bade. However, she compensated for this by winning her first gold medal in the team event.

Olympic Success and Continued Dominance

In 2000, Vezzali secured her spot in the Sydney Olympics and emerged victorious in both the individual and team events. From 2001 to 2004, she competed in the European and World Championships, earning four gold medals. Representing Italy once again at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Vezzali was unable to demonstrate the superiority of Italian foil fencers worldwide as the team event was not included in the program. Nevertheless, she won another Olympic gold in the individual event. Following the birth of her son, Vezzali took a break from professional sports to embrace her new role as a mother. However, after just four months, she made a comeback to fencing.

In 2005, Vezzali claimed victory at the World Championship in Leipzig, Germany, winning two silver medals in 2006 and one gold medal in subsequent world championships. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, she captured her third Olympic gold in the individual event but settled for third place in the team event. At her fifth Olympic Games in London, Vezzali lost in the semi-finals to one of her fellow Italians but triumphed in the bronze medal match against Korean fencer Hyun Hee Nam.

Life Beyond Sports

After her remarkable success in fencing, Vezzali became involved in public activities and politics, without ending her sports career. On February 25, 2013, she became a member of the Italian parliament for Mario Monti's Civic Choice party. Vezzali has also published two autobiographies. The book "With Uncovered Face," written with Caterina Luchetti, was released in 2006. Her second book, "Me, Valentina Vezzali," written with Betta Carbone, was published in 2012.