The character arc of Bebe Vio
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born on 4 March 1997 in Venice, the second of three children, and raised in Mogliano Veneto. Between then and now sit fencing taken up at five, meningitis contracted in late 2008 at eleven, the amputation of both legs at the knee and both forearms to save her life, a return to fencing after more than three months of rehabilitation, a charity founded by her parents in 2009, a first competition in 2010, a torch carried in 2012, a first World Cup won in 2013, European and world titles, Paralympic gold in 2016 and 2020, and a degree in May 2023. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Drag along the line to move, pinch or use the buttons to look closer. Tap the line to pluck it, or any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Bebe Vio?
Four amputations at eleven, and fencing again by spring.
She was born in Venice, the second of three children, and raised in Mogliano Veneto. As a child she had three passions, which she called the three S's: school, fencing, which she took up at five, and scouting. In late 2008, at eleven, she contracted meningitis. To save her life doctors amputated both her legs at the knee and both her forearms.
After more than three months of intensive rehabilitation she was back fencing. She fences from the shoulder, using a special prosthesis to hold the foil, which is not a modification anybody had to make for her before she needed it. Her parents founded a charity in 2009 to promote sport for young amputees. She took part in her first wheelchair fencing competition in 2010, under two coaches.
The 2012 Games came too early in her career for her to compete, so she carried the torch at the opening ceremony instead, after more than a thousand people emailed the international committee to support her candidacy. In 2013 she won her first World Cup in Montreal, beating an Olympic silver medallist, and was named paralympic athlete of the month for it. She paused early in the following season to concentrate on her studies, came back in June and won both the individual and team events at the European Championships, and was named her country's paralympic athlete of the year. She has been European champion in 2014 and 2016, world champion in 2015 and 2017, and Paralympic champion in the foil in 2016 and 2020, competing again in 2024. In May 2023 she graduated in communication and international relations from a university in Rome.
The moments
Bebe Vio's timeline.
The 1990s
Born in Venice
Everyday. The middle of three, near Venice.
The 2000s
The three S's
Milestone, and it changed her direction. School, fencing and scouting, and she named the set herself.
Meningitis at eleven
Setback, and it changed everything. Eleven years old, and four amputations to keep her alive.
Pick up a foil again
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: go back to fencing, taken, or find something else. She competed for the first time in 2010 and won her first World Cup in 2013.
Three months, and back
Milestone, and it changed everything. Three months of rehabilitation, and then she picked up a foil again.
Her parents build something
Milestone, and it changed everything. Her parents turned the worst year of their lives into a charity.
The 2010s
A first competition
Milestone, and it changed her direction. Two years after the hospital, and she was competing.
A torch, not a foil
Milestone, and it changed her direction. Too young to compete, so a thousand strangers got her into the stadium anyway.
A first World Cup
Milestone, and it changed everything. Sixteen years old, and she beat an Olympic silver medallist.
A pause, then two titles
Milestone, and it changed her direction. She stopped for her exams, came back, and won both events.
Paralympic champion
Milestone, and it changed everything. European, world and Paralympic champion, in the same few years.
The 2020s
A degree in Rome
Milestone, and it changed her direction. The first of the three S's, finished, alongside all the rest of it.
Mogliano Veneto is home and the foil is strapped to her arm, and she is still winning with it. What it has set moving started before she had won anything: a charity her parents built in 2009 so that other young amputees could get into sport, and a great many of them who saw a girl their age back on a piste in three months.
Your turn
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Hers was interrupted at eleven in the hardest way there is, and she was back on the piste in three months. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Bebe Vio: frequently asked questions
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More character arcs
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Sources
- Beatrice Vio, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
- International Paralympic Committee records for the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Games.
- European and World Championship records in foil B category.