At the 2024 Paris Olympics, an Italian gymnast has captivated global attention for a unique reason beyond her athletic achievements. Giorgia Villa, a standout member of the Italian women’s gymnastics team that secured a silver medal in the team event, has gone viral due to her unexpected sponsorship by Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Villa’s social media presence has become a sensation, thanks to images of her enthusiastically posing with large wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano. These photos, featuring her gleefully holding the massive cheese blocks while on the balance beam or the floor, have garnered widespread attention. One post alone has racked up over 16 million views on X, highlighting the internet’s fascination with her unusual sponsorship.
One Twitter user humorously noted, “I need the people to know that Olympic silver medalist Giorgia Villa is sponsored by parmesan cheese and regularly posts pics of herself with giant wheels of cheese.” This quirky association has endeared Villa to fans, who have affectionately nicknamed her “Get that cheese girl” in response to her exuberant promotion of the iconic Italian cheese.
The buzz around Villa’s sponsorship is part of a larger trend of Olympic athletes capturing public interest through unique endorsements. For instance, South Korean sharpshooter Kim Yeji and Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec have also made waves on social media, while an Australian coach expressed outrage over a Chinese swimmer’s exceptional world record.
A spokesperson for Parmigiano-Reggiano expressed pride in Villa and the entire Italian gymnastics team, celebrating their achievements and the positive spotlight brought by this distinctive partnership.
