Giulia Imperio, the gold medals of rebirth at the European Championships in Georgia: “Coming out of a tunnel

There is a moment, in sport as in life, when everything seems to stop. And then there is another, rarer one, in which everything starts again together. For Giulia Imperio that moment has the precise weight of 176 kilos lifted on the European platform in Batumi, Georgia. After two years away from international competitions, an operation on her right shoulder and a complex personal journey, the Apulian girl (24 years old) from the Army returned to take it all: gold in the snatch (78 kg), in the clean sweep (98 kg) and in the total. European champion, again. But above all, as she herself writes, “reborn”. “I am reborn”: a strong word.

“From the injury, from the operation in November 2024. It was a dark period. I felt like I would never see the end, even though inside me I knew I was coming back. In fact, maybe I was even better than before. I just had to wait for the right match, and the European Championship was it.”

“No, heavy personal things also happened. It was a rebirth as an athlete, but above all as a person.”

She said she lacked anxiety and adrenaline. Really?

“Yes, because they are our life. If you take those emotions away from an athlete, he loses himself. I had forgotten what it meant to feel them. Finding them again at the European Championship was different, more intense”.

“Because I was coming from a difficult period. I understood that, if managed well, those emotions only give you positive things.”

The return also involves a technical choice: going down a category, from 49 to 48 kg. An invisible but very tough challenge. Does one kilo really change everything?

“A lot. I had to lose weight and gain muscle mass at the same time. It’s not easy. With the nutritionist Riccardo Romano and the trainer Aristide Guerriero we did a huge job. I’ve never been in such good shape.”

From 2022 to 2026, however, the biggest change is not physical. How different do you feel today compared to the first European title in Albania?

“A lot. Before I was a little girl, perhaps immature. Now I have taken a step forward: I feel safer, more aware.”

She talked about “the best version of yourself”. What does it mean?

“Great psychological work. With the mental coach Mauro Gatti and also on a personal level. In these two years I have worked a lot on myself.”

Then there is the more intimate dedication. The one that weighs more than any barbell: gold for his grandmother.

“Yes, Teresa. She passed away at the beginning of the year. It was fundamental for me. It wasn’t easy to deal with it.”

She left Monteparano at the age of 15 to pursue a dream in Rome. An early, almost obligatory choice. What did leaving home so early mean?

“At first it felt like freedom. Then you understand how much you miss them. I’m very close to my family: we talk every evening on video calls.”

Weightlifting came into his life almost by chance. It wasn’t his first sport, right?

“I did athletics, speed. Then during preparation I discovered sprinting and momentum. I tried a race… and I immediately won two Italian titles. From there I changed everything.”

Today, in addition to results, there is also a broader role. She is very followed on social media (over 740,000 followers on Instagram) and contributes to changing the perception of a sport still full of stereotypes. Do you feel like a pioneer?

“If I can be a point of reference, yes. I want to show this sport for what it really is. It’s not “masculine”. At the European Championship there were more women than men”.

The gaze, however, is already ahead. Towards another challenge. Olympics goal?

“The category has changed, now there is the 53 kg. It won’t be easy, but if my head says it can be done, I’ll try. I like challenges.”

Is there an idol that inspired you?

“Usain Bolt as a child, then LeBron James. For the work he does on himself every day.”

“I like going to the cinema and being in company, it’s something I feel I need.”

If her life became a movie, who would she want as an actress?

I don’t know… I’m small.”

Small, perhaps. But capable of lifting much more than its own weight.