TRILLINI: 34, aboveVEZZALI: 30, below COUNTRY: Italy EVENT: Women's foil THE DRAMA: With one more medal, Trillini would tie the record for winningest female fencer ever, but Vezzali stands in her way THE COMPETITION: Compatriot Margherita Granbassi, 24, could surprise her older teammates, and Pole Sylwia Gruchala is world No. 2
Posted Sunday, August 8, 2004; 11.13BST
When the world's best athletes are going for gold, what are the odds that two of the three medalists in an event would hail from the same small town? It happened in 2000, when fencers Valentina Vezzali and Giovanna Trillini took gold and bronze home to Jesi (pop. 39,000) in Italy's Marche region. Jesi has sent fencers to every Games since 1976, but this was its best result ever. "Always having one of the best in the sport nearby has made us better," says Trillini.
Asked about her hopes this year, Trillini recites the cliché that any color medal will do. But then she reveals her real feelings: "You don't head [to the Games] thinking about silver or bronze." The leading gold medalist in Olympic women's fencing history, she has won team-foil golds at the last three Games and won individual gold in Barcelona in'92. She also won solo bronze in Atlanta and Sydney.
Vezzali has a glittering haul, too: three golds and one silver. But that didn't make Trillini feel any better when she saw her hometown rival take the 2000 gold. "At first you are so angry about losing in the semifinals," says Trillini. "But I was able to focus in time" to salvage a bronze.
Focus will be crucial in Athens : a new elimination format could see some favorites knocked out early. The individual foil will also be their only chance to win medals, since the team event has been dropped. So as the Games near, Trillini has got to be rooting for silver or bronze for Vezzali.
Double Dutch in the Olympic Pool [Jul. 26, 2004]
Twin sisters Sonja and Bianca van der Velden are in this together — and they have plenty to smile about
Straight To Video [Jul. 26, 2004]
Sure, the Games are always TV-friendly. But the Athens Olympics are designed for cameras, not fans. No sweat: ticket sales are slow anyway
Leaving the Past Behind [Jul. 12, 2004]
Victory for Taiwan's baseball team may restore some luster to the island's scandal-tainted diamonds
Is She the Next Nadia? [Jul. 05, 2004]
Catalina Ponor, cultivated in the hothouse of Romanian gymnastics, wants to be nothing less
To The Hammer Born [Jun. 21, 2004]
In Koji Murofushi's family, becoming a world-class athlete is just the standard career path
Athens Clears A Hurdle [May. 24, 2004]
The Olympic Stadium is topped off and gets a big thumbs-up for its prep work
The King of Racewalking [May. 31, 2004]
Poland's Robert Korzeniowski is the greatest of all time — and he's going for one last gold in Athens
Going to the Temple of Love [May. 24, 2004]
A sailor's tribute to Aphrodite is uncovered by Olympic constructors
How Safe Is Athens? [May. 17, 2004]
Bombs go off 100 days before the Olympics begin. A look at who may have planted them, and how officials plan to secure the Games
Mogadishu at 60 Miles an Hour Arms merchants are once again doing brisk business after a rapid change of power in this tough town, but so far the peace has held
The Year of The Nuke A rundown of the world's nuclear powerhouses, and what to expect in the coming months
