Veronica Calabrese

{{short description|Italian taekwondo practitioner}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| headercolor = lightblue

| name = Veronica Calabrese

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| nationality = {{ITA}}

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|11|7|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Mesagne, Brindisi, Italy

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| height = {{height|m=1.70|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|57|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

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| sport = Taekwondo

| event = 57 kg

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| club = Centro Sportivo Esercito

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| coach = Yoon Soon-Cheul

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{{MedalSport | Women's taekwondo}}

{{MedalCountry | {{ITA}} }}

{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}

{{MedalSilver|2009 Copenhagen | 57 kg }}

{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}

{{MedalBronze|2006 Bonn | 59 kg }}

{{MedalBronze|2010 St. Petersburg | 57 kg }}

| show-medals = yes

}}

Veronica Calabrese (born 7 November 1987 in Mesagne, Brindisi) is an Italian taekwondo practitioner.{{cite sports-reference|title = Veronica Calabrese|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/veronica-calabrese-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418013233/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/veronica-calabrese-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 18 April 2020|access-date = 25 January 2013}} She won two bronze medals for the 57 and 59 kg classes at the European Taekwondo Championships (2006 in Bonn, and 2010 in St. Petersburg).{{cite news|title=Taekwondo: Europei a San Pietroburgo, bronzo per Veronica Calabrese|trans-title=Taekwondo: Veronica Calabrese wins European bronze in Saint Petersburg|language=it|url=http://www.coni.it/attivit%C3%A0-istituzionali/promozione-sportiva/giochi-della-giovent%C3%B9/45-news/14361-taekwondo-_europei_a_san_pietroburgo,_bronzo_per_veronica_calabrese.html|publisher=Italian National Olympic Committee|date=4 May 2012|access-date=25 January 2013}} She also captured a silver medal in the same division at the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, losing out to China's Hou Yuzhuo.{{cite news|title=U.S. disappoints on Day 2 at taekwondo worlds|url=http://preview.universalsports.com/news-blogs/article/newsid=348997.html|publisher=Universal Sports|date=16 October 2009|access-date=25 January 2013}}{{cite news|title=Veronica Calabrese vince la medaglia d'argento ai Mondiali|trans-title=Veronica Calabrese won the silver medal at the World Championships|language=it|url=http://www.taekwondotricolore.it/2009/10/16/veronica-calabrese-vince-la-medaglia-dargento-ai-mondiali/|publisher=Taekwondo Tricolore|date=16 October 2009|access-date=25 January 2013}} Calabrese is a member of the taekwondo team for Centro Sportivo Esercito, and is coached and trained by Yoon Soon-Cheul.{{cite web|title=CONI Profile – Veronica Calabrese|language=it|url=http://www.pechino2008.coni.it/index.php?id=156&atleta=402&sport=Taekwondo|publisher=Italian National Olympic Committee|access-date=25 January 2013}} She is engaged to two-time Olympic medalist Mauro Sarmiento.{{cite news|title=Italy’s Gentle Giant with a Killer Kick|url=http://www.mozzarellamamma.com/2012/italys-gentle-giant-with-a-killer-kick/|publisher=Mozzarella Mamma|date=1 May 2012|access-date=25 January 2013}}

Calabrese qualified for the women's 57 kg class at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, after placing second from the World Qualification Tournament in Manchester, England.{{cite news|title=WTF World Taekwondo Olympic Tournament Wraps Up in Resounding Success in Manchester, U.K.|url=http://www.wtf.org/bbs/bbs.php?bbs_no=177&bbs_code=10001&bbs_cate=&bbs_num=177&page=28&search=&keyword=&symode=view&PHPSESSID=802c167cc143481fa863617f513ae131|publisher=World Taekwondo Federation|date=31 January 2008|access-date=25 January 2013}} She defeated Colombia's Doris Patiño and Senegal's Bineta Diedhiou in the first two rounds, before losing out the semi-final match to South Korean taekwondo jin and world champion Lim Su-Jeong, with a score of 1–5.{{cite web|title=Women's 57kg (126 lbs) Semifinals|url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/resultsandschedules/rsc=TKW057201/index.html|publisher=NBC Olympics|access-date=25 January 2013}} Calabrese automatically qualified for the bronze medal bout, where she narrowly lost the medal to United States' Diana López, with a sudden death score of 2–3.{{cite web|title=Women's 57kg (126 lbs) Bronze Medal|url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/resultsandschedules/rsc=TKW057251/index.html|publisher=NBC Olympics|access-date=15 January 2013}}{{cite news|title=Diana Lopez adds to family haul with bronze|url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/news/newsid=243254.html|publisher=NBC Olympics|date=21 August 2008|access-date=25 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105010718/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/news/newsid=243254.html|archive-date=5 January 2014|url-status=dead}}