health
'I eat pasta almost every day': a day in the life of a world champion pizza athlete
Francis Tolu works at his family’s restaurant in Spain and also competes in pizza acrobatic contests internationally
TL;DR
- Francis Tolu is a freestyle pizza champion who competes in acrobatic performances with pizza dough.
- He holds achievements such as the 2026 masters acrobatics title at the World Pizza Games and four wins at the Pizza world championship.
- Tolu works at Pizzeria Venezia in Alginet, Spain, a restaurant owned by his family for 40 years.
- His daily routine includes waking between 7:30-8 am, exercising, and practicing intermittent fasting.
- He prepares dough for the next day, orders supplies, and creates/edits recipe videos.
- Tolu has been developing his pizza acrobatics skills for 25 years and competing since 1999.
- Working in the restaurant is sacrificial, leaving little time for socializing, with customers often being his main social interaction.
- He typically sleeps less than six hours a night, often waking without an alarm clock.