Legnante, who previously won F12 shot put titles at London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016, secured gold with a throw of 14.54m, beating Uzbekistan’s Safiya Burkhanova.

The 46-year-old, who competed in the Beijing 2008 Olympics before losing her sight due to congenital glaucoma in both eyes, has become a dominant figure in para-athletics. She set the world record in 2014 and is renowned for her distinctive eye masks.

Competing in the city that houses the Mona Lisa, Legnante achieved her victory wearing an eye mask featuring the famous artwork by Leonardo da Vinci. “It’s a piece of art that binds Italy and France,” Legnante said of her choice. “When I choose an eye mask, there is always a link between Italy and the host country. This time round it was France, so what’s better if not the Mona Lisa?”

The design for the mask was chosen from two finalists out of 44 submissions by graphic design students at the University of Bologna, with the final decision made by public vote.

Originally from Naples, Legnante also took home a discus silver earlier in the Games, bringing her total Paralympic medal count to six. Believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506, Leonardo’s Mona Lisa was acquired by King Francis I of France in 1519 and has been displayed at the Louvre since 1797, where it remains one of the world’s most valuable artworks.