An international figure in Paralympic sport, Italian foil fencer “Bebe” Vio, a double gold medalist in Rio and Tokyo, is making her debut at the Paris Games on Wednesday, September 4. Her goal is clear: a new title under the glass roof of the Grand Palais. Here are five things to know about this athlete who, at 27, embodies resilience and modernism in wheelchair fencing.
A career marked by success
Beatrice “Bebe” Vio is first and foremost a renowned sportswoman. She won her first Paralympic title in Rio in 2016, in individual foil in category B, which includes those without voluntary mobility of the trunk, as well as in team foil. She repeated this performance at the Tokyo Games in 2021, confirming her status as a world star of Paralympic fencing. To date, the Italian is a triple world champion and quadruple European champion, dominating her discipline with an aggressive style combined with impeccable technique.
Unusual resilience
Having had all four limbs amputated at the age of 11 after contracting fulminating meningitis, “Bebe” Vio was hospitalized for three and a half months, undergoing multiple surgeries and skin grafts.
She spent a year relearning to walk with the help of specially adapted prosthetics, before returning to the fencing ring – a discipline she has practiced since she was 5 years old.
With over 1.3 million followers on Instagram, “Bebe” Vio is a true social media star and her popularity extends beyond the world of sport. She shares her daily life as an athlete, her victories, but also her more difficult moments.
The young woman is also among the personalities present in the documentary “Like Phoenixes: The Paralympic Spirit”, broadcast on Netflix in 2020. “I’m a lucky woman! I’m doing just fine with my four pairs of legs, my Robocop hands, and the scars on my face. I wouldn’t recognize myself without them.”she confided in her autobiography entitled « They gave me a dream » (“They gave me a dream”).
A commitment to others through “Art4Sport”
Beyond sport, Vio is very active in the associative field. In 2009, she co-founded the association “Art4Sport” with her family. This organization helps amputee children to access sports, providing them with adapted equipment and the necessary support so that they can flourish in sport. The association, inspired by the journey of “Bebe”, has allowed many young people to regain self-confidence and a joy of living through sport.
A model of determination and inspiration
With its slogan “If you want, you can” (“If you want, you can”), “Bebe” Vio, a symbol of courage and determination, uses her fame to defend the rights of people with disabilities and ensure that “disability becomes normal.”
This ambassador of disabled sports was also one of the few para-athletes present at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games on July 26. The Italian fencer paraded on the Debilly catwalk alongside personalities such as drag queens Paloma and Nicky Doll, to the rhythm of DJ Barbara Butch’s set.
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She was also one of the torchbearers at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics, last Wednesday on the Place de la Concorde.
