Italian Olympian’s cheese wheel photo shoot sparks online frenzy

An Italian athlete has sent fans wild on social media after users uncovered a photo shoot she did as a partner for an iconic cheese brand.

Giorgia Villa is a cheese ambassador

It’s a partnership that fans are finding anything but cheesy.

After winning silver in the women’s artistic gymnastics final on Wednesday (AEST), it was uncovered that Team Italy’s Giorgia Villa has a second slice that’s worth watching, the NY Post reports.

Villa, the 21-year-old gymnast, is also a partner with iconic cheese brand Parmigiano Reggiano.

Although Villa hasn’t made an Instagram post next to a different kind of circular prize since 2022, her photos from years past have gone viral.

A highlight is her hugging a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano almost as big as her with the accompanying caption, “Always together with my best friend @parmigianoreggiano, ready to start again and face new challenges!”

Giorgia Villa with a big wheel of cheese. Instagram/giorgiavilla23

The athlete is a brand ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano. Instagram/giorgiavilla23

Others include Villa doing handstands on wheels of parm and eating wrapped bites of the cheese while relaxing from training.

While in Paris, Villa posted a 13.766 score on uneven bars during Rotation 2, the only event in which she competed in the artistic gymnastics team final.

Nonetheless, she and fellow Italians Angela Andreoli, Alice D’Amato, Manila Esposito and Elisa Iorio placed second with a total 165.494 score, behind the United States’ 171.296.

Villa is making her Olympic debut this summer, but she’s thoroughly decorated throughout the gymnastic ranks.

Giorgia Villa after competing in the uneven bars. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP)

Elisa Iorio and Giorgia Villa of Team Italy and Gold medallist Simone Biles on the podium. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Villa finished first on balance beam and second in uneven bars at the 2023 Baku World Cup and also claimed a gold medal during the 2022 European Championships in the team category.

Thus far, Italy has racked up 13 medals — which ranks seventh among all competing nations — and six silvers.

The 5-foot-5 Villa joins the ranks of other Olympic athletes to generate buzz and niche supporters for their eccentric interests.

Others include British swimmer (and knitter) Tom Daley, American pommel horse specialist an Rubik’s Cube enthusiast Stephen Nedoroscik and American rugby bronze medallist Ilona Maher.

This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.