Irene Camber-Corno (12 February 1926 – 23 February 2024) was an Italian fencer and Olympic champion in foil competition.

Irene Camber
Camber in 1960
Personal information
NationalityItalian
Born(1926-02-12)12 February 1926
Trieste, Italy
Died23 February 2024(2024-02-23) (aged 98)
Lissone, Italy
Height169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
Country Italy
SportFencing
EventFoil
ClubSS Cassa di Risparmio, Milan
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki Foil Individual
Bronze medal – third place 1960 Rome Foil Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1953 Brussels Foil Individual
Gold medal – first place 1957 Paris Foil Team
Silver medal – second place 1954 Luxembourg Foil Team
Bronze medal – third place 1957 Paris Foil Individual
Bronze medal – third place 1952 Copenhagen Foil Team
Bronze medal – third place 1953 Brussels Foil Team
Bronze medal – third place 1955 Rome Foil Team
Bronze medal – third place 1962 Buenos Aires Foil Team

Biography

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Irene Camber was born in Trieste, Italy, on 12 February 1926.[1] She began to be interested in fencing at eight years-old in Trieste. Her involvement in fencing was accidental:[2] instead of entering the hall where she used to practice gymnastics, she mistakenly entered the fencing hall.[2] She had four appearances at Olympic Games: London (1948), Helsinki (1952), Rome (1960) and Tokyo (1964).[2]

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial chemistry, she made her debut at the London Games in 1948. She was defeated in the semi-finals.[2] Four years later at the Helsinki Games, she faced two-time Olympic champion (at Berlin and London Games) 45-year-old Hungarian Ilona Elek. She won the match by 4–3. She did not appear at the Melbourne Games, since she was pregnant. At the Rome Games in 1960, she won a bronze team medal.[1] She lastly took part in the Italian fencing team at the Tokyo Games. She won medals at the world fencing championships. Then she began to serve as the national team coach at the Munich Games, and Antonella Ragno, her pupil, won the gold medal. Camber also worked at Montedison chemical corporation during her fencing career.[1]

Death

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Camber died in Lissone on 23 February 2024, at the age of 98.[3]

Achievements

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Camber received a gold medal in the individual foil at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.[4][5] At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome she received a bronze medal in foil team. She also earned two titles – one individually (1953) and one with the Italian team (1957) – and six more medals at the Fencing World Championships.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Irene Camber-Corno". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Olympic Dictionary" (PDF). Gazzetta. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Addio A Irene Camber, La Signora Della Scherma Italiana. Il Presidente Federale Azzi: "Campionessa Ed Esempio. Ricordo Indelebile L'abbraccio Con Le Fiorettiste D'oro All'ultimo Mondiale Di Milano"". Federazione Italiana Scherma. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  4. ^ "1952 Summer Olympics – Helsinki, Finland – Fencing" databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on 7 June 2008)
  5. ^ "Irene Camber Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
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