50 greatest Summer Olympians in history
By John Buhler
22. Edoardo Mangiarotti, Fencing.
Italian fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti is considered the most accomplished Olympic athlete in his respective sport, having won 13 medalis (six gold, five silver, two bronze) over the course of five Olympiads.
Mangiarotti won gold in team epee four times (1936, 1952, 1956, 1960); once in individual epee (1952); and once in team foil (1956). He earned silver in team foil three times (1948, 1952, 1960); once in team epee (1948); and once in individual foil (1952). His two bronze, meanwhile, came in the individual epee in 1948 and in 1956.
Mangiarotti was one of the most accomplished fencers of all time, in large part because of his foil-to-epee versatility. He retired from competitive fencing in 1961 at the age of 42, shortly after the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in his native Italy.
While he was better at epee as opposed to foil, Mangiarotti’s versatility in the sport set him apart as one of the best fencers in Olympic history. He passed away in 2012 in Milan at the age of 93.
Next: 21. Bob Mathias.