Alberta Santuccio got the winning touch for Italy in overtime against France’s Auriane Mallo-Breton in epee fencing to complete a hard-fought 30-29 win for gold in the Paris Olympics 2024.
Alberta Santuccio is an Italian Fencer and 2021 team Olympic bronze medalist. She was born on 22nd October 1994, in Catania, Italy. She began fencing at the age of seven.
While competing with the CS Acireale, she won a gold medal in the individual event at the European Cadet Championship and in the international under-17 circuits. As such, she was chosen to be the flag bearer in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. She won gold in the mixed team tournament and silver in the girls’ individual Épée during the games. Santuccio also won two bronze medals at the 2014 and 2018 Fencing World Cup. In 2015, Santuccio returned from ninth place to beat Russia 40–36 in the 2015 European Games for a bronze medal.
Santuccio was selected to represent Team Italy at the 2020 Summer Olympics where she helped them win a bronze medal in the Team épée.
Namita Nayyar:
You were born in Catania, Italy. You began fencing at the age of seven after witnessing her brother Giorgio play the sport. This later propelled your career to the height where you represented Team Italy at the 2020 Summer Olympics and helped them win a bronze medal in the Team épée fencing. Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance.
Alberta Santuccio:
The life of us sportsmen is not always as full of enthusiasm as one might think from the outside. In our journey there are more climbs we face than descents. The first major decision I made in my career was when in 2016 I decided to leave my gym, my family and my homeland to train in another city, I moved to Milan where I spent two years.
Later I realized that things were not going as I had planned and hoped and I again found myself having to make another decision, which was to move to Rome. This, however, meant yet another new gym, a new teacher, a new life, but inside me I knew it would be the best choice and in fact it turned out to be so: I immediately had a great feeling with Daniele (my teacher) with whom I did an exceptional job. With him I felt like I was back home a bit because I experienced that paternal sense of protection but at the same time he knew how to spur me on and shake me when I needed it. So we can say that my path was not always linear, but thanks to my character and perseverance I managed to obtain the stability I needed.
Namita Nayyar:
You have selected a sport which apart from individual sport is also a team sport and requires a lot of cohesiveness and family feeling between the players of the side to finally succeed, how do you achieve that?
Alberta Santuccio:
When you start fencing you mainly think that this is an individual sport, only later do you discover the world of the team. A world made first of all of mutual trust, hard teamwork on and off the piste. We as a team are very close, but it took us a while to reach these levels. We know that where one does not arrive, the other will surely arrive: that is our strength.
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you would like to share?
Alberta Santuccio:
My week is made up of a lot of training, but also rest because in sport recovery is not to be underestimated. I train three times in the morning where I do athletic preparation and every afternoon I take care of the technical part, then bouts with opponents and lessons with the master.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President of womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2024 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Alberta Santuccio:
Like many sportspeople but also as a woman I care about my physique and that is why I rely on a nutritionist from the national team who follows me regularly through a balanced and targeted diet for my activity. I admit that every now and then I make exceptions to the diet because I love good food.
Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to our inspiring and budding women fencing playing girls who all are your fans, what do they do for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of women fencing?
Alberta Santuccio:
Dear girls, first of all what I feel like telling you is don’t be afraid, but above all have fun, face the challenges of each day with awareness and always want to improve. Constancy and perseverance will pay off.
Namita Nayyar:
How did you feel after you’re memorable winning the silver medals in the World Championships 2023 Milan both in Individual and team event.
Alberta Santuccio:
Winning a medal at the world championship is something wonderful but doing it at home since the world championship was held in Milan was even more so. I had all the warmth of the crowd, my family and friends who came to cheer me on, that gave me great strength! I admit that immediately after the final in which I had lost I could not rejoice about the medal because I felt more like I had lost the gold medal rather than having won the silver one.
But once the initial anger had passed I realized what had happened and was finally able to enjoy this beautiful medal. We also had great regret for the team because until the end we had hoped for gold, but unfortunately the last matches did not go as we had hoped and Poland got the better of us. However, we brought home a lot of important points in view of the qualification for Paris 2024 and we reconfirmed ourselves among the strongest teams in the world.
Namita Nayyar:
It is known that you had fought back in matches with sheer determination against all odds and returned to win. How you were able to overcome a mental block when your team was trailing and then reverse the final outcome of the match in your favor and what advice you can give to a fellow sportsperson in a similar situation?
Alberta Santuccio:
I have always been a fighter and I hardly ever give up. For me, an assault is never over until the last hit is put in, whether it’s mine or the opponent’s. It’s not about overcoming mental blocks, but simply believing in what you are doing! Because if we don’t believe in it in the first place nothing is possible!
Namita Nayyar:
You won your first individual World Cup gold medal at the 2022 event in Budapest, Hungary, and being part of Team Italy at the 2020 Summer Olympics won a bronze medal in the Team épée fencing and also won numerous other awards. How do you remain so humble and lovable? Success has not made you the least arrogant and proud which is mostly with all the celebrity stars.
Alberta Santuccio:
Fortunately, I grew up with values that were first taught to me by my family and then by sport. I’m a very outgoing girl, but at the same time shy and reserved in some situations, sometimes I was mistaken for arrogant but fortunately they all changed their minds because it’s not an adjective that really characterizes me!!!
Namita Nayyar:
In 2015, you came back from ninth place to beat Russia 40–36 in the 2015 European Games for a bronze medal. What were your thoughts when you were down at Ninth place what motivated you to reach greater heights by winning the bronze medal and reversed the outcome of the match?
Alberta Santuccio:
I still remember that competition, it was exciting to win that medal with my team at that time. I got on the piste in the last bout that would have awarded the bronze medal with several strokes of disadvantage and as I said before what characterizes me is determination. When I started shooting I had only one goal: to win! And the more I recovered, the more my teammates jumped for joy and the more I charged.
Namita Nayyar:
Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear.
Alberta Santuccio:
Nike, Adidas, New balance, Ascia, Under Armour
Namita Nayyar:
Five travel destinations on your wish list.
Alberta Santuccio:
Puglia
, Giappone, Australia, Island, Perù,Namita Nayyar:
Quote you live by “Fencing is like life. There is disappointment and happiness. Each bout gives me a new and different experience from the last one.” Elaborate.
Alberta Santuccio:
My phrase that I have been repeating to myself as a mantra since childhood is simply: FINO ALLA FINE (UNTIL THE END).
Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Alberta Santuccio:
Thanks to Woman Fitness for talking about fencing
, about me and for giving space to all women!
Namita Nayyar:
Message for your social media followers.
Alberta Santuccio:
Follow me in this important Olympic year… your support is also my strength… long live fencing, long live sport, long live women!
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President of womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2024 Women Fitness