The World Fencing Championships are tinged more and more with blue. Or rather, gold and blue, because Italy dominates the first two team trials, with triumphs in the women’s foil (which confirms itself as a medal machine) and in the men’s epee. Triumphs both arrived in the final against France, the classic icing on the cake of a sporting rivalry that has always pitted the two countries against each other. And thus the Azzurri rise to 10 in these Milan World Cups, one step away from the absolute record for Italy.
The Azzurri gold in team epee at the World Cup
The foil quartet (Alice Volpi, Arianna Errigo, Martina Favaretto and Francesca Palumbo) opened the dance, in a challenge that the Azzurri practically led right from the start thanks to the solidity of Favaretto and Volpi, capable of dragging even the public after a comeback of the transalpines who from -7 had moved on to 31-30. Four points in a row from the 2001 class and Volpi’s extension up to 40-34 were the prologue to Palumbo’s last assault, chosen to close the match against the French Thibus: an apt decision, because the 29-year-old from Potenza controlled the last attacks, then closing with malice on 45-39 and opening the celebrations of the public. With a lot of records for the Azzurri, given that only at the World Championships in Paris 2010 and Kazan 2014 had Italy managed to conquer the three individual medals and the gold in the team competition in women’s foil.
The exultation of the blues of the sword
And since appetite comes with eating, immediately afterwards the Azzurri of the men’s epee (Gabriele Cimini, Davide Di Veroli, Andrea Santarelli and Federico Vismara) repeated the triumph of their colleagues, beating France again in a challenge dominated from the first assaults. The initial break comes thanks to Santarelli at 15-11 and from there Italy never looked back, finishing at 45-31 with excellent performances also from Cimini and Di Veroli. A victory that brings Italy back to the top of the world sword podium in the team competition for the first time since 1993, when the gold came in the world tournament in Essen, Germany. Having filled up with records, the Azzurri however do not want to stop because the goal of the highest number of world medals conquered in a single edition is also at stake.
World Fencing Championships, Italy gold in women’s team foil
Having reached 10 in this world championship review in Milan, in fact, they are one podium away from the record set in Catania 2011 and Cairo 1949, with 11 medals won, but also just one gold from the record also set in Cairo 74 years ago. The last chance will be in the hands of the men’s foil team (formed by Alessio Foconi, Daniele Garozzo, Filippo Macchi, Tommaso Marini), who today beat Qatar (45-16) and Belgium (45-29). Tomorrow in the quarterfinals they will face Hong Kong, on the last day of competition. In which there will be not only the Azzurri’s search for the record, but also Olga Kharlan’s Ukraine’s hunt for the medal. After having first been excluded for not saying goodbye to the Russian Smirnova and then readmitted by decision of the FIE, in fact, the partner of the Italian Luigi Samele today dragged her teammates against Italy in the round of 16 (45-33) and tomorrow she will face fourth the USA to continue the run-up to the medal.
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2023-07-29 21:24:00
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