Giorgia Villa's viral cheese photos overshadow Olympic silver win
6:34 PM EDT, August 1, 2024
Giorgia Villa is an Italian gymnast who was recently crowned a silver medalist at the Paris Olympics. Internet users have pointed out that the athlete was involved in a rather unusual sponsorship deal not too long ago. Photos of the Italian gymnast have gone viral.
On Tuesday, Giorgia Villa and four of her teammates won a silver medal in artistic gymnastics. This is the first team Olympic medal for the Italian team in this discipline since 1928. However, the gymnast gained attention online for a different reason.
Cheese sponsorship
Users of the platform X quickly found photos in which the gymnast poses with large pieces of cheese. The photos are from 2021 and were part of an advertising collaboration with Parmigiano Reggiano—the official association of Parmesan cheese producers.
The marketing agency Impresa e Sport stated at the time that the collaboration confirmed Parmigiano Reggiano's connection to the world of sports. The statement also mentioned "quality and energy value, both in sports and proper nutrition."
"Time" noted that since Wednesday evening, archival photos of Villa with giant wheels of cheese have garnered over 11 million views on the platform X.
These are the 21-year-old's first Olympic Games. The gymnast also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but could not compete due to an ankle injury sustained just before the event.
