Olympics: Fencer Vezzali bags third individual gold in a row

Italian fencer Valentina Vezzali on Monday won her third individual gold in a row in as many Olympic Games allow Italy to temporarily climb to fourth place in the medals table.
Vezzali defeated South Korea's Nam Hyunhee 6-5 in the women's foil final while Italy's Margherita Granbassi picked up the bronze with her win over co-national Giovanna Trillini in the same event.
''This was a victory for the whole squad. I was on the podium but with me were my family and the whole technical staff,'' Vezzali said in tears after winning.
''I still can't believe it. It's already hard to win a first time but even more so when you have to bear the weight and responsibility of repeating yourself,'' she added.
''Fencing is a passion for me and it has given me so much. If I am here today it is thanks to all the sacrifices I have made, my family and the technical staff,'' Vezzali said.
''God gave me a great gift which is almost like a vocation. I have tried to make sense out of all this and in doing so have been able to do something I would have never imagined possible,'' she added.
''Now, if they don't make me flag-bearer for London 2012...'' the 34-year-old fencer said jokingly in reference to the next Olympic Games.
Vezzali has now won a total of five Olympic gold meals, having also won the gold for team foil in Sydney 2000 and Atlanta 1996, where she picked up the silver in individual foil.
It could have been an all-Italian final had Trillini not been defeated by Hyunhee in the semi-finals in what many, Trillini first among them, saw as a match spoiled by bad refereeing.
''It's obvious that three Italians could not go for all three medals and this was the only way to stop this,'' a bitter Trillini said after her 15-10 defeat.
''I had a good chance of winning but with refereeing like that... I'm very angry because the refereeing was not in the Olympic spirit. It was disgraceful!'' she added.
The 38-year-old fencer said she will withdraw from Olympic competition after the women's team foil event here.
Trillini's views were shared by the head of Italy's fencing federation, Giorgio Scarso, who said that ''the referee was totally incompetent and the jury was not up to Olympic par. I assume all responsibility for my words''.
Scarso was particularly angry with the Chinese referee for two penalties against Trillini and excessive interruptions to allow the referee to watch the video playback.
Italy now has three gold medals, the same as the United States, as well as three silver and two bronze.
Italy's first gold was also in fencing when Matteo Tagliariol won the men's individual epee on Sunday while Italy's second gold was won Monday by Giulia Quintavalle in the judo 57kg event.
Italy won its third silver Monday morning in the team archery event and brought to 500 its overall medal tally in the Olympic Games since 1900.