Edoardo Mangiarotti

1.1. Childhood and Early Fencing Talent

Edoardo Mangiarotti was born on 7 April 1919, in Renate, Lombardy, Italy, into a family with deep roots in fencing. His father, Giuseppe Mangiarotti, was a renowned Milanese fencing master and a 17-time national épée champion for Italy. Giuseppe played a pivotal role in shaping Edoardo's career, meticulously planning his path to championship. Edoardo was the second son of Giuseppe.

Edoardo displayed precocious talent from a young age. At just 11 years old, he became the Italian national junior foil champion. His father, Giuseppe, employed specialized and unconventional training methods, including converting Edoardo, a natural right-hander, into a left-handed fencer. This strategic change was intended to make him a more awkward and challenging opponent for his adversaries. Edoardo's older brother, Dario Mangiarotti, also became a distinguished fencer, winning the individual épée world title in Cairo in 1949 and securing one gold and two silver medals at the Olympic Games. His younger brother, Mario Mangiarotti, also pursued a career in fencing.

2.1. Pre-World War II Career (1935-1938)

Mangiarotti's talent quickly propelled him into the senior ranks. At the age of 16, he earned a place on the Italian senior team and competed in the 1935 World Championships. The following year, at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, he made his Olympic debut. He contributed to Italy's gold medal victory in the team épée event, alongside teammates Giancarlo Cornaggia-Medici, Saverio Ragno, Franco Riccardi, Giancarlo Brusati, and Alfredo Pezzana.

In July 1937, at the inaugural 1937 World Fencing Championships in Paris, France, Mangiarotti secured another gold medal in the men's team épée event. The subsequent year, in May 1938, he competed at the 1938 World Fencing Championships in Piešťany, Czechoslovakia. There, he earned a silver medal in the individual épée and a bronze medal in the team épée. His pre-war career was cut short when major international fencing competitions were suspended due to the outbreak of World War II.

2.2. Post-World War II Career (1947-1951)

Following the end of World War II, Mangiarotti returned to competitive fencing. In June 1947, he participated in the 1947 World Fencing Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, where he won two bronze medals in the individual foil and team épée events. The next year, at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, he earned a bronze medal in the individual épée and two silver medals in the team foil and team épée events. In the team épée, he competed alongside his brother Dario, who was unable to participate in the team foil due to an injury.

In April 1949, at the 1949 World Fencing Championships in Cairo, Egypt, Mangiarotti won gold medals in both the épée and foil team events, in addition to a bronze medal in the individual foil. He continued his dominance in July 1950, securing two more gold medals in the team épée and team foil at the 1950 World Fencing Championships in Monte Carlo, Monaco. His success persisted into June 1951 at the 1951 World Fencing Championships in Stockholm, where he claimed gold medals in the individual épée and team foil, along with silver medals in the team épée and individual foil.

Mangiarotti also competed at the Mediterranean Games. At the 1951 Mediterranean Games in Alexandria, he won gold medals in the team épée and team foil events, and a bronze medal in the individual foil. At the 1955 Mediterranean Games in Barcelona, he earned silver medals in the team épée, team foil, and individual foil events.

3.1. 1952 Helsinki Olympics

The 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, represented a pinnacle for the Mangiarotti brothers. Edoardo Mangiarotti delivered a decisive performance in the individual épée event, winning the Olympic gold medal against a record field of 76 competitors. After a challenging start in the final, he secured the victory with seven wins. His brother, Dario, earned the silver medal in the same event, while Oswald Zappelli of Switzerland, who had previously beaten Edoardo for silver at the 1948 Olympics, took bronze. In the team events, Edoardo contributed to two gold medals for the épée team and two silver medals for the foil team. The Mangiarotti family's combined medal haul at these Games was exceptional, with Edoardo securing two gold and two silver medals, and Dario adding a gold and a silver, totaling six medals for the family. This achievement is often compared to the legendary Nadi brothers, Nedo and Aldo, who won nine fencing medals (eight gold, one silver) at the 1920 Olympics.

In July 1953, following his Olympic success, Mangiarotti competed at the 1953 World Fencing Championships in Brussels, Belgium, where he earned one gold and two silver medals.

3.2. 1956 Melbourne Olympics

By the time of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, Mangiarotti was slightly past his prime, but he remained a formidable competitor. In the individual épée event, the competition culminated in a dramatic finale where three Italian fencers-Mangiarotti, Carlo Pavesi, and Giuseppe Delfino-finished tied for first place, each with five wins and two losses. A barrage was required to determine the medalists. The tension escalated after the first round of the playoff, as all three fencers again had one win and one loss. In the second barrage, Mangiarotti, showing signs of fatigue as midnight approached, lost both his bouts. Pavesi then defeated Delfino to claim the gold medal, resulting in an Italian clean sweep of the medals, with Mangiarotti securing the bronze. As compensation, he went on to win gold medals in both the épée and foil team events.

Earlier, in June 1954, Mangiarotti had achieved a remarkable feat at the 1954 World Fencing Championships in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, where he became a triple gold medalist.

3.3. 1960 Rome Olympics

At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, Mangiarotti, at 41 years old, was one of the oldest members of the Italian fencing team, second only to Fiorendo Marini (48). He earned a silver medal in the team foil event, as the Italian squad was defeated by the Soviet team, which included individual champion Viktor Zhdanovich. However, the Italian épée squad, anchored by Mangiarotti and individual gold medalist Giuseppe Delfino, triumphed over a strong British team led by Bill Hoskyns, the 1958 World individual champion, to win the team gold medal. This gold medal marked Mangiarotti's final Olympic gold.

This was Mangiarotti's 13th and final Olympic medal. With this achievement, he broke the standing record of 12 Olympic medals held by Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi since the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Mangiarotti's record as the most decorated Olympian would stand until the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, when Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina surpassed it with her 18th medal. Latynina's record, in turn, was broken on 31 July 2012 by American swimmer Michael Phelps at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

4.1. World Championship Achievements

Mangiarotti's performance at the World Fencing Championships was consistently dominant. He accumulated a total of 13 gold, 8 silver, and 5 bronze medals across various World Championships:

• Gold Medals:**
  • 1937 Paris: Team épée
  • 1949 Cairo: Team épée, Team foil
  • 1950 Monte Carlo: Team épée, Team foil
  • 1951 Stockholm: Individual épée, Team foil
  • 1953 Brussels: Team épée
  • 1954 Luxembourg: Individual épée, Team épée, Team foil
  • 1955 Rome: Team épée, Team foil
• Silver Medals:**
  • 1938 Piešťany: Individual épée
  • 1951 Stockholm: Team épée, Individual foil
  • 1953 Brussels: Individual foil, Team foil
  • 1954 Luxembourg: Individual foil
  • 1958 Philadelphia: Individual épée
• Bronze Medals:**
  • 1938 Piešťany: Team épée
  • 1947 Lisbon: Individual foil, Team épée
  • 1949 Cairo: Individual foil
  • 1958 Philadelphia: Team foil

4.2. Olympic and Career Records

Mangiarotti is the most decorated Italian Olympian of all time, with a total of 13 Olympic medals: 6 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze. These medals were won across five Olympic Games from 1936 to 1960. His overall career medal count, combining Olympic and World Championship titles, stands at an astonishing 39, the most by any fencer in the history of the sport. This record firmly establishes him as one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history, tying him for the tenth-most decorated Olympian of all time.

4.3. International Olympic Committee (IOC) Recognition

In 2003, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) formally recognized Edoardo Mangiarotti's extraordinary achievements by awarding him a Platinum Wreath. The accompanying document explicitly stated: "Edoardo Mangiarotti's total of 39 gold, silver & bronze medals in Olympic & World Fencing Championships, which earns him the distinction of being the greatest Fencer in that sport's history." This special award underscored his unparalleled legacy in the sport.