The Queen of Blades

At the gym every day working on technique, often twice a day, because practice is very important for competitive athletes. All this after attending lectures, studying and of course taking exams. Giulia Guerra is enrolled in her third year in the Bachelor in Economia e Management at Bocconi and she's a member of the fencing club Circolo della Spada Mangiarotti, one of the most prestigious fencing schools in Italy and thus the world. This doesn't leave her much free time to dedicate to recreation, but that's ok. "I want to graduate on time and then enroll in a Master of Science program," says Giulia, "but I also want to continue fencing at a high level. It's a sacrifice, transfers are often long, but it's also very satisfying." Giulia started with the foil at a young age, when she was 6: "At first it was the only blade I was allowed to use," she says. Then she used both the foil and the épée until she was 16, when, in part due to better results and in part due to indications from her teacher, she started using the épée only. Soon after she started with the Under 17 youth national league , then Under 20, with excellent results. "You start with regional competitions, then nationals and if you make it there, you move on to international competitions," explains Giulia. "I placed in the top 8 in the world, which in fencing means the finals, both at the Under 17 and the Under 20 levels. But I never made it to the podium." She did make it for the teams competition, where Giulia won the gold medal at the European Championships in 2008 with the Under 17s, and again in 2012 with the Under 20s. "Team competitions in an individual sport may seem odd, but you actually feel the same satisfaction, even if you have an increased sense of responsibility because your performance could be decisive in some way, even for your teammates," says Giulia. One of her teammates in 2008 was Rossella Fiamingo, one of the top athletes overall.

2013 was a transition year for various reasons, but now Giulia is even stronger than ever: "Last year I slacked off a little," she says, "because I didn't want to fall behind in my university exams, I had problems with my trainer and, what's more, moving out of the Under 20 to the big leagues was traumatic. Now I've changed a lot and I'm more enthusiastic." That enthusiasm has led to her qualifying for the upcoming Italian championships, in Acireale in late May, where the top 32 athletes out of a shortlist of 300 will attend. "It will be a great experience, as will the European Under 23 circuit, which I'm participating in. I'm training a lot, I'm going to keep going as long as I want and as long as results are positive," says Giulia. "After that, we'll see. After I stop competing I don't think I'll become a trainer, I won't making fencing my life, even though I would like to keep practicing. I want to graduate and then work in marketing to express my creativity."