Italian Boxer Irma Testa aims to win Olympic medal in Paris 2024 after coming out as lesbian - Interview

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Italian boxer Irma Testa - who came out as a homosexual after her success at Tokyo Olympics - claims the support she has been getting is heartwarming for opening up about her sexual orientation.

The Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer in the women's featherweight category, however, stated that the podium finish in Tokyo 2020 gave her the courage to come out in the public and talk openly about her sexual preferences.

Image Courtesy: Irma Testa Instagram

The 25-year-old pugilist - who is in New Delhi to compete in the ongoing IBA Women's World Boxing Championships 2023 - spoke to MyKhel about her journey, her idol, her future plans, and the support she received after coming out as gay.

Irma is an accomplished boxer in every sense for she has won medals at every competition and is an inspiration to several young and aspiring female boxers in Italy. The European nation has been one of the powerhouses of boxing by winning a total of 48 medals (15 gold, 15 silver, 18 bronze) in the sport in Summer Games.

Irma had her fair share of struggles and hardships when she saw her elder sister - who also inspired her to pick up the sport - sacrifice her love for boxing and join her mother to earn for the family. The challenges faced by her family made Irma stronger and more determined to do something in sports and earn a name for herself.

Speaking about her journey, she said, "I picked up boxing gloves when I was 12. I was inspired watching my elder sister box. So, I too followed her in the dream, but unfortunately, she had to stop when I was 14. She had to go to work and finish school to earn money in order to support a family of six people. But my family encouraged and supported me to pursue my dream."

Hailing from Naples - where football is the most followed sport - Irma went on to do well and bagged medals at every major competition, that a boxer aspires to participate in. She has a bronze medal in the Olympics (Tokyo 2020), a silver medal in the IBA World Championships (2022), and a couple of gold medals in the European Championships (2019 and 2022).

"I hail from Naples. The football culture in my city is huge. We have a big football team S.S.C. Napoli (who are at the top of the team standings in the ongoing top-flight of the Italian football league i.e. Serie-A). But boxing comes second (after football) in terms of popularity in my city."

Image Courtesy: Irma Testa Instagram

Asked about the fuel which keeps her desire burning and doing well, she said, "Passion and motivation to get better every day. When I wake up and I see myself in the mirror, I tell myself 'You're here to follow your dreams. Follow your dreams because one day you realize them'. This drive to get better keeps me going. I work hard to better my technical side of the game, and get better."

The Italian idolises Muhammad Ali and the legendary boxer's famous quote 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' had an impact on her foot movement which earned her the nickname of 'butterfly'. A documentary on Irma is also titled 'Butterfly'. "The way I used to move in the ring, my coach told me, 'You are a butterfly. So, my second name is butterfly'. Muhammad Ali is my sporting idol," she added further.

Irma is one of the first female boxers to open up about her sexuality and came out as a queer and asserted that the confidence to go public about her sexual orientation only came after she won the bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics because she knew nobody can raise fingers at her now. While she opened up to her family at the age of 14, it took Irma nine years of inner battle and an Olympic medal to finally come out in the public.

She added further, "The reception (about my sexual orientation) was normal at home. I told my mom (about it) when I was 14 years and she said 'I love you so much'. Similar was the reaction from my father and other members of the family. But in Italy, there are some issues with the LGBTQ-plus community. The society isn't that open, yet."

"But after winning the Olympic medal, I consciously took the decision to tell the world about who I am. Because when you win a bronze medal at the Olympics, you get some strength and people can't say you are a bad influence and call you a bad athlete. After Tokyo 2020, it did not matter to me as well. It gave me the strength to be myself even if people criticised me because I know I am a good athlete."

Speaking about the reception she got after coming out as gay from fellow athletes and the queer community in the country, the Italian said, "The support I received was heartwarming after coming out as gay. They say, thank you. I believe it's important for more people, more athletes to tell about their sexual preferences now. Many are still hesitant about speaking in public."

Talking about her future goals, the Italian claims wants to do well at the ongoing IBA Women's World Boxing Championships and then sets her sights on the Olympic qualifiers in June, and eventually wants to change the colour of the medal at the global event.

"So, I want to win here in Delhi and later there is a qualifier for Paris Olympics in Poland, in June. It will be the first competition for qualifying for the Olympics. I wish to win a gold medal in boxing in Paris 2024," she signed off.

Irma on Saturday (March 25) won a gold medal in the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in the 57 kg featherweight category. She defeated Karna Ibragmova of Kazakhstan in the final to be crowned the champion. The Italian has successfully managed to change the colour of her medal in the next edition.