Tokyo (AFP)

When Beatrice Vio appears in the weapons room of the Tokyo Paralympic Games, she draws a delicate and distinguished being, slipping here and there a word of encouragement to her opponents.

Her mask put on, she is nothing more than a cry, a crash and a victory.

His second Paralympic gold medal on Saturday attests to this.

The bubbling "Bebe", as she is called in Italy, would seem almost possessed once her four prostheses were removed, her foil attached to her amputated left arm and her body harnessed in a chair.

"When I fight, I have to remove my prostheses and I cannot stand in the wheelchair," said the 24-year-old Italian.

"That's why I have to specifically train my abs to keep balance and move quickly."

And how fast: an instant later, his foil assault (category B) ended in a blur of movement.

Vio swings like a dancing cobra until the moment chosen to strike.

She then hits in a flash, followed by a shrill cry.

Lightning strikes five times, first 5-0 win.

Seven hours and eight more victories later, Saturday, at Makuhari Messe Hall in Tokyo, after a tenfold increase in decibels and an ever more contagious joy, the Italian sensation won a second gold medal at the Paralympic Games, after his triumph in Rio he five years ago.

- "You must not be afraid" -

Her celebrations during her 15-9 victory over Chinese Zhou Jingjing, in a remake of the Rio final, are unique: an explosion of emotions at the intersection of the joyful hopping of a child and the primal cry.

The Italian Beatrice Vio after her victory in the wheelchair fencing final (foil, category B), at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, August 28, 2021 Behrouz MEHRI AFP

Her passion extends beyond the gun rooms, where she wants to convey to others her sheer exuberance, so aptly described in the acclaimed documentary "Rising Phoenix".

She is much more than a fencer: she is a speaker, author, actress, television host, activist for people with disabilities and promoter of disabled sports.

Vio developed a passion for fencing at the age of five, but six years later was diagnosed with severe meningitis.

To save his life, his legs and forearms had to be amputated to prevent rampant necrosis.

In just three days, the searing infection turned the life of a carefree, energetic and talented child upside down.

But she considers herself lucky - only 4% of people with this strain of meningitis survive.

Vio was hospitalized for three and a half months, undergoing multiple surgeries, skin grafts and immense pain.

She spent a year relearning to walk with prostheses and regaining her strength.

- "Believe in yourself" -

She quickly adapted to wheelchair competition and, despite being the only wheelchair fencer in the world with no arms or legs, she rose to the top of her sport.

Italian Beatrice Vio celebrates her gold medal with her coach after her victory in the Tokyo Paralympic Games final against China's Jingjing Zhou, at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba on August 28, 2021 Behrouz MEHRI AFP

"I realized that I liked wheelchair fencing a lot more than standing fencing," she says.

"In standing fencing, if you are afraid you can step back. Sitting you cannot escape. You must not be afraid."

Vio did not participate in the London Games in 2012, but she carried the Paralympic torch there, to represent the future of the movement.

She won her first world championship in 2015, remaining undefeated all season.

And at just 19, she surprised big favorite Zhou to win gold at her first Paralympic Games in Rio.

"You know, you have to believe in yourself," she preaches, clutching her precious gold medal to her chest.

"This is my message to everyone. Believe it and you can do great things."

© 2021 AFP