Ignazio Fabra

Ignazio Fabra was a four-time Italian Olympic wrestler in Greco-Roman, winning silver medals at flyweight in 1952 and 1956. This was all the more remarkable due to the fact that he had been deaf since birth. He won his first Italian title in 1950, followed by gold at the 1951 Mediterranean Games. Fabra won the world title in 1955 and added silver medals at the Worlds in 1962-63. He won 10 national championships, with seven in Greco-Roman (flyweight: 1950-51, 1953-54, 1957, 1965; bantamweight: 1956) and three in freestyle (flyweight: 1952; bantamweight: 1954, 1963). Fabra ended his career with 24 international caps and perhaps a fitting finale occurred when he won at the 1969 Deaflympics in Beograd. Fabra was awarded the Gold Medal of the Italian Olympic Committee for his athletic achievements.