Vincenzo Maenza

A specialist in Greco-Roman wrestling, Vincenzo Maenza began competing at the age of 13 and was part of the senior national team at the age iff 16. He took part in four editions of the Olympic Games, the first in Moscow when he was 18. He went on to win two gold medals (Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988) and one silver at Barcelona in 1992. Nicknamed “Pollicino” (meaning “ Tom Thumb”) because of his short stature, Maenza also won two silver medals at the World championships (1980 and 1989) and was the 48 kg. European champion in 1987.

Maenza won six Italian titles in the 48 kg category and seven in the 52 kg category. He also triumphed at the 1983 and 1987 Mediterranean Games (bronze in 1991) and at the Military World championships. In 1994 he suffered a serious torn knee ligament injury, which eventually forced him to retire from competitive wrestling and prevented him from participating in his fifth Olympics at Atlanta. He was, however, a candidate for the role of Italian Flag Bearer.

For about 25 years Maenza was a coach at the CISA Athletic Club in Faenza where he shaped the future of the 2008 Olympic gold medallist Andrea Minguzzi. He received in 2015 the Gold Collar for Sporting Merit from the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI). In 2021, a plaque bearing Maenza´s name was placed on the Walk of Fame of Italian Sport at the Foro Italico Olympic Park in Roma, reserved for Italian athletes who distinguished themselves on the international stage.