Valentina Vezzali

Maria Valentina Vezzali (Italian pronunciation: [valenˈtiːna vetˈtsaːli]; born 14 February 1974)[1] is an Italian politician and retired 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.

Valentina Vezzali
Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies[1]
In office
19 March 2013[1] – 22 March 2018
Personal details
Born (1974-02-14) 14 February 1974
Iesi, Marche, Italy
Political partyCivic Choice (2013–17)
Independent (2017–22)
Forza Italia (2022–present)
SpouseDomenico Giugliano
Children2
ProfessionAgent of the Polizia di Stato[1]
Fencing career
Full nameMaria Valentina Vezzali[1]
Nickname(s)Cobra
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight53 kg (117 lb)
CountryItaly Italy
SportFencing
WeaponFoil
Handright-handed
National coachAndrea Cipressa
ClubG.S. Fiamme Oro
FIE rankingrankings
Medal record
Representing  Italy
Women's fencing
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 6 1 2
World Championships 16 6 4
European Championships 13 4 3
Universiade 5 3 0
Mediterranean Games 2 0 0
Total (65) 42 14 9
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta Foil team
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Foil individual
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Foil team
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Foil individual
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Foil individual
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Foil team
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta Foil individual
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Foil team
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Foil individual
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1995 The HagueFoil team
Gold medal – first place 1997 Cape TownFoil team
Gold medal – first place 1998 Le Chaux-de-FondsFoil team
Gold medal – first place 1999 SeoulFoil individual
Gold medal – first place 2001 NimesFoil individual
Gold medal – first place 2001 NimesFoil team
Gold medal – first place 2003 HavanaFoil individual
Gold medal – first place 2004 New YorkFoil team
Gold medal – first place 2005 LeipzigFoil individual
Gold medal – first place 2007 St. PetersburgFoil individual
Gold medal – first place 2009 AntalyaFoil team
Gold medal – first place 2010 ParisFoil team
Gold medal – first place 2011 CataniaFoil individual
Gold medal – first place 2013 BudapestFoil team
Gold medal – first place 2014 KazanFoil team
Gold medal – first place 2015 MoscowFoil team
Silver medal – second place 1994 AthensFoil individual
Silver medal – second place 1994 AthensFoil team
Silver medal – second place 2006 TurinFoil individual
Silver medal – second place 2006 TurinFoil team
Silver medal – second place 2011 CataniaFoil team
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de JaneiroFoil team
Bronze medal – third place 1995 The HagueFoil individual
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Le Chaux-de-FondsFoil individual
Bronze medal – third place 2010 ParisFoil individual
Bronze medal – third place 2014 KazanFoil individual
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 13 (5 individual)
Silver medal – second place 4 (3 individual)
Bronze medal – third place 3 (2 individual)
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 5 (4 individual)
Silver medal – second place 3 (0 individual)
Bronze medal – third place 0 (0 individual)
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place2001 TunisFoil individual
Gold medal – first place2009 PescaraFoil individual

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

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.[4] 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).

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.[5] In 2021, she was named cabinet undersecretary in charge of sports for Italy.[6] On 27 July 2022, Vezzali joined Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI).[7]

Prize List
Event Individual Team Total
Olympics311301612
World Championships62410401664
European Championships5328121343
Total1467215335119
Fencing World Cup
  • Foil (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010)

Achievements

Olympic Games
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEvent
1996 Olympic Games United States Atlanta 2nd Foil individual
1st Foil Team
2000 Olympic Games Australia Sydney 1st Foil individual
1st Foil Team
2004 Olympic Games Greece Athens 1st Foil individual
2008 Olympic Games China Beijing 1st Foil individual
3rd Foil Team
2012 Olympic Games United Kingdom London 3rd Foil individual
1st Foil Team

World Championships
SeasonCompetitionVenuePositionEvent
1993 World Fencing Championships Germany Essen 6th Foil individual
1994 World Fencing Championships Greece Athens 2nd Foil individual
2nd Team Foil
1995 World Fencing Championships Netherlands The Hague 3rd Foil individual
1st Team Foil
1997 World Fencing Championships South Africa Cape Town 1st Team Foil
1998 World Fencing Championships Switzerland La Chaux-de-Fonds 3rd Foil individual
1st Team Foil
1999 World Fencing Championships South Korea Seoul 1st Foil individual
2001 World Fencing Championships France Nimes 1st Foil individual
1st Team Foil
2003 World Fencing Championships Cuba Havana 1st Foil individual
2004 World Fencing Championships United States New York 1st Team Foil
2005 World Fencing Championships Germany Leipzig 1st Foil individual
2006 World Fencing Championships Italy Turin 2nd Foil individual
2nd Team Foil
2007 World Fencing Championships Russia Saint Petersburg 1st Foil individual
2009 World Fencing Championships Turkey Antalya 5th Foil individual
1st Team Foil
2010 World Fencing Championships France Paris 3rd Foil individual
1st Team Foil
2011 World Fencing Championships Italy Catania 1st Foil individual
2nd Team Foil
2013 World Fencing Championships Hungary Budapest 1st Team Foil
2014 World Fencing Championships Russia Kazan 1st Team Foil
3rd Foil individual
2015 World Fencing Championships Russia Moscow 1st Team Foil
2016 World Fencing Championships Brazil Rio de Janeiro 2nd Team Foil

Honours and awards

 Italy: Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Italian for: Grand Officer Order of Merit of the Italian Republic), 1 September 2008.[8]

Personal life

She published two autobiographies: A viso scoperto ("With uncovered face"), written with Caterina Luchetti in 2006,[9] and Io, Valentina Vezzali, written with Betta Carbone in 2012.[10] 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]

See also

References
  1. "Profile of Valentina Vezzali". The official website of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  2. "Olympics Statistics: Valentina Vezzali". databaseolympics.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  3. "Valentina Vezzali Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  4. "Fencing great Valentina Vezzali fails to qualify for Rio 2016". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. Associated Press. 28 November 2015.
  5. "XVII Legislatura - XVII Legislatura - Deputati e Organi - Scheda deputato - VEZZALI Maria Valentina". www.camera.it (in Italian).
  6. "Olympic champion Vezzali to oversee sports in Italy". AP NEWS. 12 March 2021.
  7. Vezzali entra in Forza Italia: "Pronta a contribuire con la mia esperienza", Corriere della Sera
  8. (in Italian) Grande Ufficiale Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana Sig.ra Valentina Vezzali. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  9. Vezzali, Valentina; Luchetti, Caterina (2006). A viso scoperto (in Italian). Milan: Sperling & Kupfer. ISBN 978-88-200-4162-5.
  10. Vezzali, Valentina; Carbone, Betta (2012). Io, Valentina Vezzali (in Italian). Milan: Dalai Editore. ISBN 978-88-6620-355-1.
  11. Harkins, Craig (15 July 2005). "Interview: Valentina Vezzali". fencing.net. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  12. Staff (22 July 2013). "Fencing, Vezzali to take part in World Championships less than 3 months after giving birth". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  13. "Being a mother is the greatest privilege of all". 19 December 2012.
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