Giuseppe Delfino

Working at the Fiat car factory in Torino, Giuseppe Delfino learned fencing at the company’s sport facilities. He became one of Italy’s top épée fencers of the time, in a period when Italy dominated that weapon. Delfino was part of three gold medal team at the Olympics (1952, 1956 and 1960) and six World Championship squads (1950, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957 and 1958). But Giuseppe Delfino also achieved individual success. In 1956, he was one touch away from Olympic gold, when he lost to Richard Pew and ended up in second place after the barrage. He took revenge at his home Olympics, defeating Britain’s Allan Jay in the tie-break. After his fencing career, Delfino became president of the Torino Fencing Club, and later of the Ivrea Fencing Club. Following his death, the latter was renamed Circolo Scherma Giuseppe Delfino.