Italy ranks sixth on the total Olympic medal list, thanks in large part to its fencers. Italian fencers have won a leading 125 medals, more than double its total in any other sport. The Italians are known for their personalities, from La Bomba to the Cannibal, with six of their best detailed here …
Deborah Compagnoni
Alpine Skiing
Three Olympic Gold Medals
The only Alpine skier to earn gold at three straight Olympics. Compagnoni overcame a broken knee as a junior racer and life-saving surgery to remove 27 inches of her intestine in 1990 to win the Albertville 1992 super-G by 1.