Vanessa Ferrari

Personal information

Ferrari was born on 10 November 1990 in Orzinuovi. Her mother, Galya, is Bulgarian, and her father, Giovanni, is Italian.

2004

Ferrari first rose to prominence as a 13-year-old at the 2004 Junior European Championships where she won the silver medal in the all around competition with a score of 36.525. She also won two bronze medals with the Italian team and on the balance beam with a score of 9.175.

2005

Still in the junior ranks for 2005, Ferrari turned in more fine performances at the European Youth Olympics in Italy and the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almería, Spain, winning the all around gold medal at both competitions as well. She also won vault, beam and floor at the latter as well as the silver medal on the uneven bars.

2006

In April, Ferrari competed at the European Championships in Volos, Greece. She led the Italian team to win gold with an all around score of 60.750. In event finals, she placed seventh on uneven bars, scoring 14.300, seventh on balance beam, scoring 14.875, and second on floor, scoring 15.450.

In October, Ferrari competed at the World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. She won the all around final with a score of 61.025. In event finals, she placed third on uneven bars, scoring 15.775, sixth on balance beam, scoring 14.675, and third on floor, scoring 15.450.

2007

In April, Ferrari competed at the European Championships in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She won the all around final with a score of 61.075. In event finals, she placed sixth on uneven bars scoring 14.375, eighth on balance beam scoring 13.550, and first on floor scoring 15.400.

In September, Ferrari competed at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. She contributed scores of 15.100 on vault and 14.775 on uneven bars toward the Italian team's fourth-place finish. Individually, she won the bronze medal in the all around final with a score of 60.550. In event finals, she placed eighth on uneven bars scoring 14.700 and sixth on floor scoring 15.050.

2008

In April, Ferrari competed at the European Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France. She contributed an all around score of 59.400 toward the Italian team's fourth-place finish.

Beijing Olympics

In August, Ferrari competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. In qualifications, she contributed an all around score of 58.300 to the Italian team's tenth-place finish. Individually she qualified to the all around final in twenty-first place. In the all around final, she placed eleventh with a score of 59.450.

2009

In April, Ferrari competed at the European Championships in Milan, Italy. She placed ninth in the all around final with a score of 55.175 and second in the floor final with a score of 14.675.

2010

At the end of April, Ferrari competed at the European Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She contributed an all around score of 55.525 toward the Italian team's fifth-place finish. In event finals, she placed seventh on uneven bars scoring 14.150 and fourth on floor scoring 13.850.

In October, Ferrari competed at the World Championships in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She contributed scores of 13.966 on vault, 14.066 on uneven bars, and 14.333 on floor toward the Italian team's eighth-place finish. Individually, she placed eleventh in the all around final with a score of 56.165 and sixth in the floor final with a score of 14.600.

2011

In April, Ferrari competed at the European Championships in Berlin, Germany. She placed sixth in the all around final with a score of 55.475 and eighth in the uneven bars final with a score of 12.850.

In October, Ferrari competed at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She contributed an all around score of 56.198 toward the Italian team's ninth-place finish. Individually, she placed twelfth in the all around final with a score of 55.532. She also qualified in sixth place with a score of 14.466 to the floor final but was injured and could not compete.

2012

In January, Ferrari competed at the London Prepares series in London, United Kingdom. She contributed an all around score of 56.532 toward the Italian team's first-place finish, which meant that they would qualify a full team to the Olympics. In event finals, she placed first on floor scoring 14.400.

In May, Ferrari competed at the European Championships in Brussels, Belgium. She contributed scores of 14.266 on vault, 14.466 on uneven bars, and 14.400 on floor toward the Italian team's third-place finish. In event finals, she placed fourth on floor scoring 14.400.

London Olympics

At the end of July, Ferrari competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom with Erika Fasana, Giorgia Campana, Elisabetta Preziosa and Carlotta Ferlito. In qualifications, she qualified to the all around final in seventh place with a score of 57.932 and the floor final in third place with a score of 14.900. In the team final, she contributed an all around score of 56.865 toward the Italian team's seventh-place finish. In the all around final, Ferrari placed eighth with a score of 57.999. In the floor final, she tied for third place with Aliya Mustafina. Both gymnasts scored of 14.900 but Mustafina was awarded the bronze medal after tie breaking procedures.

2013

In June Ferrari, with Elisabetta Preziosa, Giulia Leni, Giorgia Campana and Chiara Gandolfi, competed at the 2013 Mediterranean Games in Mersin. She contributed toward the Italian team's first-place finish; in event finals, she placed first on all-around scoring 56.132, first on floor scoring 13.900 and third on balance beam scoring 14.166. Ferrari is the most decorated Italian athlete at the Mediterranean Games with eight gold medals.

At the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Ferrari finished sixth in the all-around and fourth on balance beam. On floor exercise, she scored 14.633 to win the silver medal. She used an instrumental version of Caro Emerald's Tangled Up as her floor exercise music.

2014

At the European Championships in May, Ferrari won the gold medal on floor exercise.

2016

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Ferrari qualified for the individual all-around and floor finals. She finished in sixteenth place in the all-around final and fourth in the floor final, just missing the podium in the latter, as she had at the 2012 Olympics.

In September, she had surgery on her Achilles' tendons, but said she plans to continue training for more competition after a six-month rehabilitation.