Giorgio Avola, Olympic gold medalist and Walnut Studiolo fan

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A dark brown leather round, barrel-shaped saddle bag with cedar wood sides mounted to the back of a brown leather Brooks saddle on a cream-and-brown painted bicycle

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by admin
October 20, 2014
2 min read

UPDATED JULY 31, 2024

In this Customer Profile, we share the story of Giorgio Avola. Giorgio is a gold-medal-winning fencer for the Italian men's team foil. He tells his story about moving through the ranks of fencing -- and taking his bike to practice every day with a Walnut Studiolo Bicycle Frame Handle (aka Little Lifter)!

Telling Our Customers' Stories

Walnut Studiolo provides solutions to everyday problems through beautiful, design-inspired products. We love sharing how those products change the lives of our customers, and the life stories they have to tell! Can we share your story? Contact us!

Giorgio Avola is an Italian fencer and bicycle lover. Giorgio won gold in the men's team foil in the 2012 London Olympics and followed it with a gold at the 2013 World Championship and a silver at the 2014 European Championship. Giorgio tells his story about moving through the ranks of fencing, and taking his bicycle to get there:

I started fencing at age 6; my family was captured by its elegance during the Olympics. My mum decided to take me to the fencing club in my little town in the east part of Sicily. My arm was too weak for the heavy iron foil but after a few weeks I decided to fence with it anyways; I hated the plastic one! I always went to the [fencing] club by bicycle, carrying my fencing bag on my shoulders. [Riding] back home after training was always hard [because] my legs were tired but it kept them stronger and made them more powerful.

Giorgio Avola, Italian Fencer. A young Italian man sitting sweaty in an Olympic stadium, wearing a full white protective fencing outfit and wiping his foil fencing blade

Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

At 12 years old, I became Italian Champion. At 16, I went to my first World Championships in Korea. In 2011, I won the European Championships and took bronze at Worlds. I was 21.

Two men engaged in fencing at the Olympics wearing full protective gear and mesh face masks

By Marie-Lan Nguyen (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

On August 5th, 2012 my dream became true. Italy won the gold medal in men's team foil at the 30th London Olympic Games. I still don't believe it.

When the Italian Men Foils team wins gold at the London Olympics, the man fell to his knees and raised his arms upward in celebration with a very happy look on his face

Image credit: Eurosport

I am working hard for the 2016 Olympics. I moved to Tuscany to train at a bigger club. I still go to training by bicycle, carrying my bag on my shoulders.