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Giorgia Villa has become the latest breakout star of the Paris 2024 Olympics, and not just because she helped Italy secure its first-ever team gymnastics medal, but because the Olympian was once sponsored by none other than Parmesan cheese.
Following Tuesday’s women’s all-around gymnastics final, fans quickly learned that the 21-year-old gymnast had previously been sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano. “I want people to know that Olympic silver medalist Giorgia Villa is sponsored by Parmesan cheese and regularly posts pictures of herself with giant cheese wheels,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on July 31.
In one viral photo shared online, Villa posed in her gymnastics leotard and hugged a giant wheel of parmesan cheese, while pretending to eat a block in a second image. Another Parmigiano Reggiano snap showed Villa sitting on three wheels of cheese.
“Olympic silver medalist Giorgia Villa sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano,” said another X user. “Can it get more Italian than this?”
“Giorgia Villa is truly here living all our dreams,” another person wrote.
Villa was named the Parmesan cheese brand's latest ambassador in 2021, shortly after winning the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships and taking home gold at the 2022 Mediterranean Games and 2022 European Championships.
“A new face joins the prestigious Parmigiano Reggiano team as a testament to this: the young gymnast Giorgia Villa, champion of the Youth Games in 2018 and one of the most promising athletes in her field at international level,” announced the Italian marketing agency Impresa e Sport in a press release. “Tenacious, determined, smiling, Giorgia proudly underlined this new role and confirmed once again how the combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and the world of sport is indissoluble in terms of authenticity, quality and energy value, both in sporting activity and in proper nutrition.”
On Instagram, Villa shared that she was “very happy” to be a new member of the Parmigiano Reggiano family. “Since I was a child, I have always loved this incredible product, a symbol of Italian excellence and culture, and from today being able to collaborate with them fills me with pride and excitement to face future challenges,” the Olympic athlete wrote in her April 2021 post.
However, it is unclear whether Villa is still an official endorser of the cheese brand, as he has not posted a cheese-themed photo on social media since 2022.
Villa isn’t the only viral figure to emerge from the Paris 2024 Olympics. American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik was dubbed “Clark Kent” by the internet for his skills on the pommel horse, helping the US men’s gymnastics team to their first Olympic medal since 2008. Meanwhile, rugby star Ilona Maher has become TikTok’s latest obsession for her Love Island-themed content in the Olympic Village and important body positivity messages.
The Independent has contacted Villa and Parmigiano Reggiano for comment.
