Women’s Foil World Cup – St.Petersburg

This leg of the senior international circuit started on Wednesday where three British womens foilists were part of a 109-strong field in Russia.  Catherine Cook (V0D5) did not make it through the first round cut but Catriona Sibert (V2D3) and Natalia Sheppard (V5D1) did, the latter earning a bye straight through to the round of 64.  Sibert was unable to join her as she just lost her preliminary elimination fight 15-14 to Sinyta (UKR).   In the round of 64 Sheppard fenced very well and beat Varga (HUN) 10-9.  In the next round she faced the number four seed, Golubytskyi (GER) and went out 10-3 on time.

A thrilling final between two Italians was a fitting finale to this individual event.  Arianna Errigo beat Elisa Di Francisca 15-14 for the gold medal.  Two Russians took the bronze medals, Yulia Birioukova and Inna Deriglazova.

Great Britain did not enter the team event so twelve other teams battled it out.  As most would have predicted the gold medal match was between Italy and Russia with the Italians taking the match 45-32.  Korea defeated France 43-41 for the bronze medal.

GB placings:  Sheppard 24^th, Sibert 77^th & Cook 105^th.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Women’s Epee World Cup – St.Maur

Just two British women were entered into this tournament amongst a huge field of 204.  Francesca Summers could only win one of her five first round matches and did not make the cut for the preliminary knockout stages.  Corinna Lawrence (V4D2) did but lost her first preliminary match in an incredibly close match, 15-14 to Sera Song (KOR).  At the start of the second period the Korean was awarded a hit that looked like it made contact with the floor rather than Lawrence.

Anqi Xu (CHN) went on to win the title beating Rossella Fiamingo (ITA) 15-13 in the final.  Ana Maria Branza (ROU) and Kelly Hurley (USA) settled for the bronze medals.

There were twenty-three teams entered into the event of Sunday but Great Britain was not one of them.  Estonia beat Sweden 45-37 to take the gold medal with Russia beat Italy 45-26 for bronze.

GB individual placings: Lawrence 106^th & Summers 190^th.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Women’s Sabre World Cup – Bolzano

Four British fencers were part of the field of 137 in the Womens’ Sabre World Cup in Italy.  Bridget Pleasant (V0D6) and Alice Watson (V0D5) did not make the first round cut but Jennifer Sancroft (V2D3) and Sophie Williams (V2D3) did.  Sancroft lost her first preliminary match 15-12 to Bunyatova (AZE) but Williams beat Prikhodko (KAZ) 15-13 to progress.  In her second preliminary she drew Ostojska (POL) and went out 15-11.

For the second event in a row, Olga Kharlan (UKR) and Mariel Zagunis (USA) fought off for the gold medal.  This time Zagunis (USA) got the better of her Ukrainian opponent, winning 15-10.  Rosella Gregorio (ITA) and Vassiliki Vougiouka (GRE) took the bronze medals.

Great Britain was one of nineteen teams entered into the competition on Sunday.  They lost 45-22 to Spain in the round of 32 to finish nineteenth.  Russia beat Italy 45-42 for the gold medal whilst Poland beat the USA by the same score for the bronze medal.

GB individual placings:  Williams 93^rd, Sancroft 97^th, Watson 129^th & Pleasant 130^th.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Men’s Foil Grand Prix – St.Petersburg

Eight British men took part in this event in a field of 107 fencers.  Jamie Fitzgerald (V1D5) and Rhys Melia (V2D4) did not make the first round cut but Keith Cook (V4D2), Marcus Mepstead (V4D2), Husayn Rosowsky (V3D3) and Alex Tofalides (V5D1) did. All but Rosowsky progressed directly to the round of 64 where they joined James Davis and Richard Kruse who had byes through to the same round by virtue of their world rankings.  Rosowsky fell 15-11 to Yunes (UKR) in the preliminary knockout.

There, Lefort (FRA) took out Cook 15-4, Sanita (GER) beat Mepstead 14-11 and Kwak (KOR) defeated Kruse 15-7 but Davis went through 15-5 against Podshyvalov (UKR) and Tofalides made it back-to-back 32s with victory 15-8 over Awaji (JPN).  The round of 32 was as far as the British fencers made it in this event with Ma (CHN) winning 15-13 against Tofalides, (in a fight punctuated by an injury time-out for a Tofalides nose-bleed,) and Rigine (RUS) beating Davis 15-12.

Andrea Baldini (ITA) beat Enzo Lefort (FRA) 15-12 to the gold medal with Valerio Aspromonte (ITA) and Dmitry Komissarov (RUS) settling for the bronze medals.

GB placings:  Davis 19^th, Tofalides 26^th, Kruse 36^th, Mepstead 47^th, Cook 51^st=, Rosowsky 71^st, Melia 81^st & Fitzgerald 94^th.

Full results here. 

The senior circuit continues this weekend with a Women’s Epee World Cup in Barcelona and a Men’s Sabre Grand Prix in Budapest.