Andrea Baldini was five years old when his grandmother spotted him armed with a plastic sword, pretending he was Zorro, and took him to a fencing club.
The swashbuckling fantasy reached a whole new level for the boy from Livorno five years later when he watched fellow Italian Alessandro Puccini win foil gold at the 1996 Olympics.
"When I saw him in that final I wanted to become like him. I had his poster in my room," said Baldini, who now trains with Puccini in the Italian national team. "It is a real pleasure to understand from him how one can become a real champion."
Text: Reuters | Photographs: Getty Images
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