Three years ago Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa was cruelly denied her first shot at Olympic glory when she injured her ankle less than two weeks before getting on the plane for Tokyo. On Tuesday, the 21-year-old from Brescia helped Italy to their first medal in artistic gymnastics since 1928, teaming with Angela Andreoli, Alice D’Amato, Manila Esposito and Elisa Iorio to win a historic silver behind the United States.
The Italian quintet have become overnight celebrities back home, where they have been dubbed le fate d’argento (the silver fairies). But Villa’s profile has managed to transcend gymnastics in the days since her landmark medal thanks to a viral tweet which unearthed her endorsement deal with parmesan cheese.
