Valentina Vezzali

In Beijing, Valentina Vezzali became the first woman in Olympic history to win five gold medals in fencing. Between 1996 and 2008, she won the individual foil three times (2000, 2004, 2008) and the team competition twice (1996, 2000). She has also won an individual silver (1996) and a team bronze (2008), bringing her Olympic medal total to seven, second only to team mate and her opponent in the 2004 final, Giovanna Trillini. Outside of the Olympics, Vezzali’s record is no less impressive. She won 11 world titles in foil fencing (five individual, six team) and 17 medals in total, as well as nine European titles (five individual, four team). Between 1996-2008, she also won the women’s foil World Cup a record ten times, and her extensive medal cabinet also features gold medals from the Mediterranean Games and Universiades.

Vezzali grew up in the legendary fencing school of Jesi and spent her entire career with the Fiamme Oro (police) club. The most successful Italian woman ever at the Olympic Games, she was involved in politics and was a member of the Italian Parliament from 2013-18 with the “Scelta Civica” party. She was also a member of the Council of the Italian Fencing Federation from 2017-20. On 12 March 2021, the Prime Minister Mario Draghi appointed her under-secretary, with responsibility for sport in the Italian government.

Vezzali’s career in the Italian government ended in October 2022. In the same month, her biography, written by La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Paolo Marabini, was published. It was entitled La regina del fioretto - Vita, assalti e vittorie di Valentina Vezzali [The queen of foil - Life, Assaults and Victories of Valentina Vezzali].