Foil, Team, Women

The women’s team foil had the potential to be amongst the great foregone conclusions of any Olympic event at the London Olympics. The only ray of hope still left after the Italian women had been so dominant in sweeping the podium in the individual event was that they did the same thing at the 2011 World Championships before losing to Russia in the team final that year.

They pretty much demolished their British hosts and then France to set up a rematch with the Russians in the London final. This time there was to be no repeat for Russia and they never got a toehold in the gold medal contest. It was left to 38-year-old veteran Valentina Vezzali to deliver the coup de grace on Russia thereby helping Italy to the Olympic title and herself to a sixth career Olympic gold. She had won a medal in each of the nine Olympic events she contested between 1996 and 2012. The bronze medal was won by South Korea, their first ever in Olympic team fencing.

Vezzali was elected to the Italian Parliament in 2013 as a member of the newly formed centrist Scelta Civica party led by former Prime Minister Mario Monti.