1. Valentina Vezzali is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summer Olympic Games to have won five medals in the same individual event.
11 Facts About Valentina Vezzali
1. 2.
In 2013, Valentina Vezzali became a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies as part of the Civic Choice party.
3.
Valentina Vezzali won nine Olympic medals in all: five in individual foil and four in team foil.
4.
Valentina Vezzali 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.
Valentina Vezzali has the fourth-most Olympic medals of any Italian athlete and the most of any female summer Olympian from Italy, behind fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti, short-track speed skater Arianna Fontana and cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo.
6.
Valentina Vezzali won sixteen gold medals at the World Fencing Championships, six in individual competitions and another ten in team competitions, plus six silver medals and four bronze medals.
7.
Valentina Vezzali was the official flag bearer of the 2012 Italy Olympic team in London.
8.
Valentina Vezzali was a member of the Italian Parliament in the XVIIth Legislatura between 2013 and 2018.
9.
Valentina Vezzali was originally a member of the Civic Choice party led by Mario Monti.
10.
On 27 July 2022, Valentina Vezzali joined Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia.
11.
Valentina Vezzali married Italian football player Domenico Giugliano and has two sons: Pietro, born on 9 June 2005, and Andrea, born on 16 May 2013.