Valentina Vezzali

Maria Valentina Vezzali (Italian pronunciation: [valenˈtiːna vetˈtsaːli]; born 14 February 1974)^[1] 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.^[2][3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5] 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).

She also won sixteen gold medals at the World Fencing Championships, six in individual competitions (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011) and another ten in team competitions (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015), plus six silver medals (two individual, 1994 and 2006, and four with Italian team, in 1994, 2006, 2011, 2016) and four bronze medals (individual, 1995, 1998, 2012 and 2014).

In European championships, she won nine gold medals (individual: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2009, 2010; team: 1999, 2001, 2009, 2010), three silver medals (individual: 2003, 2007; team: 2007), two bronze medals (individual: 1993; team: 1998).

She was the official flag bearer of the 2012 Italy Olympic team in London.^[6]

In 2016, she came second at the Rio finals, failing to qualify for the next Olympics. She announced her retirement from fencing.^[4]

Political career

Vezzali was a member of the Italian Parliament in the XVIIth Legislatura between 2013 and 2018. She was originally a member of the Civic Choice party led by Mario Monti.^[7] In 2021, she was named cabinet undersecretary in charge of sports for Italy.^[8] On 27 July 2022, Vezzali joined Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI).^[9]

Prize List

• Foil (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010)

Achievements

Olympic Games

World Championships

Honors

• Italy: Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Italian for: Grand Officer Order of Merit of the Italian Republic), 1 September 2008.^[10]

Publications

• Vezzali, Valentina; Luchetti, Caterina (2006). A viso scoperto [With uncovered face] (in Italian). Dalai Editore. ISBN 978-8866203551.
• Vezzali, Valentina; Carbone, Betta (2012). Io, Valentina Vezzali (in Italian). Milan: Dalai Editore. ISBN 978-88-6620-355-1.

Personal life

She married Italian football player Domenico Giugliano and has two sons: Pietro, born on 9 June 2005,^[11] and Andrea, born on 16 May 2013.^[12] Vezzali is Catholic.^[13][14]