Federico's Dream Come True

It is one of those neglected disciplines which, magically, rises to the headlines every Olympic year. At least in Italy where, fencing has always ensured a constant and sizable contribution to the medal table, with champions who have made the history of the sport, and national history, too. At Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a Bocconi athlete and a graduate in Economics and Management of Government and International Organizations, Federico Vismara, a 27-year-old from Milan, will be among the protagonists of the épée tournament, where in 2023 he won the team gold medal at the World Fencing Championships World and the individual silver medal at the European Fencing Championships. In 2024 he won the team silver medal at the European Championship. It is Federico’s first five-ring experience, which comes at the age of 27, at the height of physical form for an athlete.

In a previous interview, seven years ago, when you were still a student, you stated that your goal was taking part in the Olympics, either Tokyo 2020 (then postponed to 2021 due to Covid) or Paris 2024. A goal you reached on the second attempt...

Yes, although in reality I was also in Tokyo, not to compete but as part of the official delegation, as a sparring partner of the athletes doing the tournaments. Above all, I remember the surreal climate determined by the limitations due to the pandemic, with meant zero contact with the outside world. We lived like recluses. But despite all the limitations mentioned, that participation allowed me to experience the atmosphere of the Games in advance.

You have already participated, and won medals, in the World and European Championships, first in the youth competitions and then in the adult ones. What makes the Olympic Ganes different in terms of attractiveness?

They are the realization of a dream. Every kid who does sports dreams one day of being part of this global event. It is the place where you can see up close and meet athletes from other disciplines, perhaps people that are famous and you usually see only on TV. And then the pride of being part of the Italian delegation, which we as athletes feel a lot.

Then there is the competitive aspect. Participating in the Olympics means being an athlete of the highest level, and winning a medal puts makes you go down in history. What are your objectives?

Competing to the best of my ability is the first. The rest will depend on many factors. Compared to the World Championships, for example, far fewer athletes participate here, only the truly top ones. You don't have time to test the competition, right from the first rounds the opponents are all very strong and each of us knows that your participation can end in a quarter of an hour. In the team competition, for example, around 40 teams participate in the World Championships, while in the Olympics only the top eight in the ranking take part. Even though we are world champions, we know that right from the start we will have an opponent who can beat us. It takes skill but also luck.

Team competition, in a sport that is usually individual, requires specific qualities…

They are two very different realities, just as the responsibilities are different. In the individual competition you compete for yourself, in the team competition also for your teammates and above all for your country. The responsibility is greater and there are athletes who feel burdened by this aspect. 

Do you think following a demanding university study course in parallel with your sporting activity has taken anything away from you as an athlete? Would have you been stronger if you had only dedicated yourself to fencing?

Hard to say. Maybe it took away something, but it's also true that having something else to think about when stuff goes wrong on the fencing platform helps distract the mind. Overall, I don't regret anything about the choices I made, because the degree will give me a professional future when I stop competing in international sports. 

A moment that isn't that far away, despite only being 27 years old...

No, I will almost certainly stop after the Olympics. I want to see what's out there, but above all I don't want to enter the job market too late. I'll look around, the medium/long term goal is to work for some sports organization or sporting federation.

Bust wouldn't a sensational result make you change your mind?

I don't think so, the result is the output of a series of variables, it would be simplistic to make my decision based on this alone. The important thing is the awareness of having done everything to the best of your abilities, of having left no stone unturned.

Eleonora Giorgi, race walking athlete and also a Bocconi alumna, will compete in the fourth Olympics in Paris. What do you feel like telling her?

First of all, I want to congratulate her on her athletic longevity. Performance sports such as race walking and combat sports such as fencing are very different, also in terms of mental approach. In her case, if the performance is sub-par you don’t get results. We have a different opponent every time; what matters is to prevail over that particular opponent at that precise moment. The classic “mors tua, vita mea”.

Is there an athlete from another sport you would like to meet in Paris?

I've never had any sporting idols, but I'd like to meet Novak Djokovic. He is a very strong player mentally, who lives the matches in all their facets. And that has allowed him to be a winner for so many years.

translated by Alex Foti