They have participated in the summer Olympics since the first modern Olympics of 1896. 549 medals have been won by Italian athletes, including 203 gold medals.
Individually, two Italian athletes have won six gold medals in their Olympic careers-both fencers-Edoardo Mangiarotti and Nedo Nadi. Nadi (pictured) won three individual medals and three team medals. He won gold in the individual foil at Stockholm 1912 and Antwerp 1920, and the individual sabre at Antwerp 1920. Also at Antwerp 1920, he won three team golds-in the team foil, epee and sabre. Mangiarotti won only one individual medal, in the individual epee at Helsinki 1952, and five team medals-in the team epee at Berlin 1936, Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960, as well as the team foil at Melbourne 1956.
Valentina Vezzali (pictured) won five gold medals in her Olympic fencing career. She won three individual gold and two team gold medals. Individually, she won in the individual foil at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, and in the team foil at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.
Five Italians have won four golds in the summer games:
- Giorgio Zampori (gymnastics)
- Orsete Puliti (fencing)
- Giuseppe Delfino (fencing)
- Carlo Pavesi (fencing)
- Giovanna Trillini (fencing)
- Enrico Bruna (rowing)
- Giorgio Cesana (rowing)
- Emilio Fontanella (rowing)
- Francesco Verri (cycling)
- Alberto Braglin (gymnastics)
- Luigi Maiocca (gymnastics)
- Aldo Nadi (Fencing)
- Ugo Frigerio (athletics)
- Giulio Gaudini (fencing)
- Giancarlo Cornaggia Medici (fencing)
- Franco Riccardi (fencing)
- Romeo Neri (gymnastics)
- Klaus Dibiasi (diving)
- Agostino Abbagnale (rowing)
- Antonio Rossi (canoeing)
Their most recent summer Olympic gold medalist of notariety is Federica Pellegrini. Pellegrini (pictured), who has had some great swims at the FINA World Championships the past couple of years, won gold in the women's 200m freestyle at Beijing 2008.
At the team level, the men's football (soccer) team won gold at Berlin 1936, while men's water polo won three gold medals-at London 1948, Rome 1960, and most recently at Barcelona 1992. The women's water polo team won gold at Athens 2004.
As of now, 173 Italian athletes will head to London and compete in 14 events including various athletics and swimming events, as well as boxing, cycling, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, and will also send a women's volleyball and men's water polo team there as well.
Italy was the host country for the 1960 summer Olympics (Rome).
Up next: Jamaica
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