Margherita Granbassi

Margherita Granbassi (born 1 September 1979 in Trieste) is an Italian foil fencer.

Granbassi won the gold medal at the foil 2006 World Fencing Championships after beating her compatriot Valentina Vezzali 7–6 in the final. Later in the tournament she also won a silver in the team's foil event together with teammates Vezzali, Elisa Di Francisca and Giovanna Trillini. She took the bronze medal on August 11, 2008, at the Beijing Olympics defeating her teammate Giovanna Trillini 15–12.

Early life
Margherita Granbassi was born on 1 September 1979 in Trieste, Italy, to Istrian Italian exiles from Pisino, Istria. Her grandfather came to Trieste from Pisino to study, and eventually settled there. Granbassi has stated that she always felt in her family "a feeling of Istrian [Italian] origin".

Career
She started fencing because of her brothers who also practiced the sport, and her first teacher was Silvia Strukel. After starting fencing in Trieste, she went to train in Udine for 11 years, being driven there every day by her mother while listening to an audio cassette on which she had registered the day's school lesson. In 1991, Granbassi won her first Italian title. She was called up for the first international bouts in 1994. In 1996 she won gold medals at the Italian Under-17 and Under-20 championships.

She won again the Italian Under-20 championship as well as the World Under-20 Championship in 1998 and 1999. She joined the Italian national team as a sparring partner and went with them to Sidney for the 2000 Summer Olympics. After the Olympic games she became part of the national team, winning a team gold at the 2001 European Fencing Championships, followed by a silver at the 2003 European Fencing Championships, a gold at the 2004 World Fencing Championships, and another gold at the 2005 European Fencing Championships.

She won the gold medal at the 2006 World Fencing Championships in the individual foil event. This was followed by a silver in individual foil at the 2007 World Fencing Championships. Granbassi won two bronze medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in both individual foil and team foil.