Women’s Foil, a Shining Silver. Volpi and Errigo Not Enough Against the United States

PARIS – It is not the gold medal of dreams, but the silver medal of reality, of feet firmly planted on the platform. The Americans had won the gold and silver in the individual, they were the favorites and they won. Italy of Arianna Errigo, Alice Volpi, Martina Favaretto (more Francesca Palumbo (reserve entered in the final in progress) had not even taken a medal, and returns home with one that is the most valuable since Sydney 2000, obviously excluding the stellar one of London 2012, the unattainable gold of the trio By Francisca Errigo Vezzali con Saviors solid alternative.

In a final where the Usa they have always led and has been able to win all her matches Alice Volpi, from Siena with a Brazilian mother, who has lived in Frascati for years together with her partner Daniel Garozzo, who had to give up the Olympics due to a heart problem and already works as a doctor in Tor Vergata. But the greatest emotion came from another champion who moved to Frascati, the standard-bearer Arianna Errigo, from Monza, married to her coach Luca Simoncelli, mother of twins groom e Stefano: in the last match with Scruggs immediately took a 5-1 lead, giving a glimpse of a comeback, but the gap was really too much for the USA who closed at 45-39. In a disappointing day, the 22-year-old Venetian Martina Favaretto, a student of the 1980s champion Mauro Numa, lost both matches, paying for the Olympic emotion after a world championship in Milan as a protagonist: but not even the entry of Francesca Palumbo, the only representative of Basilicata in Paris, also resident in Frascati, gave a hand to the two leaders. It is still a silver that many Dream Teams celebrated in the past have not been able to conquer, and it will remain. Not only in the balance of this Olympics, in which Italy has arrived at 4 medals (1 gold, 2 silvers and 1 bronze) awaiting the men’s team epee and foil.

The final report

Errigo immediately beats the two-time Olympic champion Kiefer (5-4), but Favaretto suffers the fencing of the newcomer Scruggs, taking a 5-1 that drops Italy to 5 points of detachment. Volpi restores hope with Dubrovich (who will be replaced) recovering with a partial of 4-1, reaching the tie with a thrust assigned by the VAR, which then turns another one to the USA who then close on 15-12. Favaretto with Kiefer completes her negative day with an illusory recovery (14-16) before closing on 15-19. The big opportunity could be the match between Errigo and the new entry Weintraub, the hope resists until the VAR turns the thrust of 18-19 to Italy, but then the American extends and wins even 6-4 (25-19). The magic of Milan does not come true, when at the World Championships Francesca Palumbo entered the final propping up Italy who was at risk of losing the gold, and the partial is very tough (1-5) with Weintraub. Volpi scores a partial 6-2 and makes the light come back, but in front of her is Kiefer who manages to stay on her wheel maintaining an 8-thrust advantage, and in the final Errigo is great, but she would need a monstrous comeback that she only achieves halfway.