Vincenzo Maenza
Italy's 'Tom Thumb' with two Olympic golds
- Born
- May 2, 1962, Imola, Italy
- Nationality
Italy- Height
- 160 cm (5′3″)
- Weight
- 48 kg
- Active
- 1976–1994
- Status
- Retired · age 64
The medals
2 Olympic golds + 1 silver
The story
incenzo Maenza had scoliosis as a child and weighed only about 60 pounds, and he started wrestling at 12 at the CISA club in Faenza. Nicknamed Pollicino, Italian for Tom Thumb, he wrestled at 48 kg. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics he did not concede a single point and beat West Germany's Markus Scherer 12–0 in the final after 1 minute 59 seconds. He won again in Seoul in 1988, beating Bulgaria's Bratan Tsenov in the semi-final and Poland's Andrzej Głąb in the final, and took silver in Barcelona in 1992, making him the first Italian wrestler with three Olympic medals. A knee ligament injury in 1994 ended his career, and he then coached at CISA Faenza for about 25 years, guiding future Olympic champion Andrea Minguzzi.
- Olympic champion, 48 kg (1984, 1988)
- Olympic silver medallist (1992)
- European champion (1987)
- Mediterranean Games champion (1983, 1987)
- FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame (2005)
- CONI Gold Collar for Sporting Merit (2015)
- Walk of Fame of Italian Sport (2021)
Defining matches
- 1984WINvs Markus Scherer (Olympic final, 12–0 in 1:59)
- 1988WINvs Bratan Tsenov (Olympic semi-final)
- 1988WINvs Andrzej Głąb (Olympic final)
- 1992LOSSvs Oleg Kucherenko (Olympic final)
Size is no excuse: Maenza weighed about 60 pounds as a child and became a two-time Olympic champion. If you are the smallest in the room, drill fast level changes and snap-downs against bigger partners until they work on everyone.
1986–2000
1980–1996
