Former Olympic hammer thrower emerges as Italian left’s new champion to take on Meloni – POLITICO

GENOA, Italy — Italy’s fragmented left has found a new figurehead, and she’s rapidly turning into a potential challenger to right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Former Olympic hammer thrower Silvia Salis, now mayor of Genoa, seized the national spotlight earlier this month when she hosted a giant techno party in the northern port city’s Piazza Matteotti. Images of her at the DJ’s mixing decks spread rapidly across social media.

The contrast with Meloni, whose first act in office was to crack down on illegal raves, was impossible to miss.