Frank Bartolillo – Fencing, Australia

Frank Bartolillo received a silver medal in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. His fencing career began at the age of 1, and he was the competitor to beat in Australia by the time he was only 16 years old…

Bartolillo was born completely deaf, so for him, lip reading and sign language are a part of life. He claims his deafness is an advantage, as it eliminates distractions during competitions. That’s just one way he’s turned a lack of hearing into a champion’s tactic.