Silver for the British Men’s Sabre Cadet team in London

Senior Men’s Sabre – Budapest World Cup

A massive field of two hundred and nineteen took part in this event that included eleven British entries.  Soji Aiyenuro (V2D4), Harry Boteler (V2D4), Alex Crutchett (V4D2), Will Deary (V3D2), Jacob Gander Compton (V2D4), James Honeybone (V2D4), Curtis Miller (V3D3), Brynmor Saunders (V2D4), Kirk Slankard (V2D4) and JJ Webb (V3D3) all progressed through the first round but Michael Clarke (V1D5) did not.  Crutchett, Deary, Honeybone, Miller, Saunders, Slankard and Webb all earned byes through the first fight of the three-stage preliminary knockout and were joined in the second stage by Boteler who defeated Vasquez (CHI) 15-9.  Aiyenuro and Gander Compton did not make it any further, losing 15-13 to Grzegorek (POL) and 15-10 to Spear (USA), respectively.  In the second preliminary, Crutchett defeated Hosino (JPN) 15-7, Deary beat Schroedter (GER) 15-12, Slankard overcame Puy (HUN) 15-13 and Webb won against Annic (FRA) by the same score.  S.Oh  (KOR) knocked Boteler out 15-6, Affede (ITA) ended Honeybone’s day with a 15-13 win, Huebner got the better of Curtis, beating him 15-5 and Abedini (IRI) beat Saunders 15-7.  No British fencers made it to the second day as Crutchett, Deary, Slankard and Webb all fell in the final preliminary knockout – 15-13 to Escudero (ESP), 15-8 to Pakdaman (IRI), 15-8 to Woog (ISR) and 15-6 to Szabo (GER), respectively.

Alexey Yakimenko (RUS) took the title, beating Junghwan Kim (KOR) 15-14 in the final.  The bronze medals were awarded to Kamil Ibragimov (RUS) and Nicolas Rousset (FRA).

In the team event the British team of Crutchett, Deary, Miller and Webb lined up in a field of twenty-four.  Beating Kazakhstan 45-37 in the round of 32 meant that they faced the number one seeds, Italy next.  The Italians were too strong and progressed 45-31.  In the placings matches they lost 45-30 to Iran, 45-42 to Ukraine before losing 45-42 to Romania thus finishing sixteenth.  Russia won the event beating the USA in a thrilling final 45-44 whilst Hungary beat Germany 45-42 for the bronze medal. 

GB individual placings:  Crutchett 79^th, Deary 86^th, Webb 90^th, Slankard 94^th, Miller 135^th, Saunders 149^th, Honeybone 150^th=, Boteler 160^th, Aiyenuro 163^rd, Gander Compton 166^th and Clarke 87^th.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Senior Women’s Sabre – Orleans World Cup

Seven British fencers were amongst the field of one hundred and eighty-three in France at the weekend.  Maria Chart, Aliya Itzkowitz and Katherine Kempe each won three of the six first round matches to make the cut.  Caitlin Maxwell (V1D5), Bridget Pleasant (V1D5), Emily Ruaux (V0D6) and Jennifer Sancroft (V1D5) did not do enough to progress.  A two-stage preliminary knockout followed but Chart, Itkowitz and Kempe did not make it over the first hurdle losing 15-13 to Martinez De Los Santos (DOM), 15-14 to Muhammed F. (USA) and 15-10 to Palcynska (POL), respectively.

Yana Egorian (RUS) beat Olga Kharlan (UKR) 15-8 to take the title with Ibtihaj Muhammad (USA) and Jisu Yoon (KOR) claiming the bronze medals.

Great Britain did not take part in the team event as twenty-one other teams fought it out.  As we have become accustomed to, it was Russia versus Ukraine in the gold medal match.  Ukraine took the title 45-33 as France defeated Italy 45-39 for the bronze medal.

GB placings:  Itkowitz 121^st, Kempe 123^rd, Chart 125^th, Maxwell 163^rd=, Sancroft 163^rd=, Pleasant 168^th & Ruaux 180^th.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Senior Women’s Epee – Oslo Satellite

Abbi Matthews was Britain’s sole representative at this event.  She won three of her five first round fights, which earned her a bye through the round of 64.  She went out in the following round 15-8 to Chang (TPE).  Renata Knapik-Miazga (POL) defeated compatriot Magdalena Piekarska 15-9 in the gold medal match as Asa Linde (SWE) and Magdalena Pawlowska (POL) picked up the bronze medals.

Full individual results here.

GB placing:  Matthews 22^nd.

U23 European Men’s Epee – Colmar

A massive field of two hundred and thirty fencers took part in this European Circuit event including Farhad Riahi representing Great Britain.  He won three fights from six in the first poule stage and four from six in the second poule, which was enough to make the direct elimination.  In the round of 256 he defeated Therond (FRA) 15-14 before losing 15-10 to Pianfetti (FRA) in the next round.

Alexandre Bardenet (FRA) beat Florian Staub (SUI) 15-7 to take the gold medal.  The bronze medals went to Alexey Kalinin (RUS) and Olivier Stolz (FRA).

GB placing:  Riahi 96^th.

Full individual results here.

U23 European Women’s Epee – Colmar

The one hundred and seventy-six fencers in this event included five from Great Britain.  With two rounds of poules, Jessica Gundry (V2D3 & V2D4), Elisabeth Powell (V4D2 & V2D4) and Amy Radford (V3D3 & v2D4) progressed to the knockout stages.  Unfortunately Eleanor Cormack (V4D2 & V1D5) and Sadie Greetham (V3D3 & V1D5) did not.  Powell and Radford made it through the round of 128 beating Koch (SUI) 15-12 and Lucani (ITA) 15-8 respectively.  Gundry fell 15-9 to Tulen (NED).  In the round of 64, Powell beat Staehli (SUI) 15-11 but Radford went out 15-9 to Vignoud (FRA). Repechage saved Powell in the round of 32 as Daninthe (FRA) beat her 15-14.  The British fencer went on to beat Alessandro (ITA) 15-11 before eventually going out 15-14 to Chretien (FRA).

Alexandra Ndolo (GER) took the title beating Josephine Jaques-Andre Coquin (FRA) 15-12.  The bronze medals were awarded to Violetta Khrapina (RUS) and Monika Sozanska (GER).

GB placings:  Powell 23^rd, Radford 62, Gundry 100, Greetham 136 & Cormack 138.

Full individual results here.

Junior Women’s Foil – Bochum

Three British fencers lined up in field of one hundred and nineteen at this event.  Kate Beardmore (V2D4) was the only Brit to progress through the first round,as  Keziah Beattie (V0D6) and Lucy Taylor (V1D5) were cut.  Beardmore beat Boldor (ROU) in the round of 128 but then lost 15-4 to Ebert (GER). 

Camilla Rivano (ITA) took the title beating Flora Pasztor (HUN) 15-10 in the final.  Erica Cipressa (ITA) and Leonie Ebert (GER) picked up the bronze medals.

GB placings:  Beardmore 60^th, Taylor 110^th & Beattie 113^th.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Men’s Epee – Klagenfurt

A huge field of two hundred and thirty-nine included three from Great Britain at this event.  Connor Head won all if his first round matches which earned him a bye through the round of 256.  Arthur Oien (V1D5) and Dominic Paul (V0D6) did not make the first round cut.  Head went on to win two very tight fights against Tsokas (FIN) 15-14 and Say (TUR) 15-14 to make the round of 32.  There he faced Sean Wilson (USA) and was knocked out 15-6.  It was another American, Ryan Griffiths who took the title beating Tibor Andrasfi (HUN) 15-14 in the final.  Bence Bende (HUN) and Jakub Jurka (CZE) were awarded the bronze medals.

GB placings:  Head 19^th, Oien 201^st & Paul 221^st.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Women’s Epee – Klagenfurt

Just two British fencers were amongst the field of two hundred and five in this event.  Laura Sheffield (V5D1) progressed through the first round but Jacqueline Oien (V1D5) did not.  Sheffield had done enough in the first round to earn a bye through the round of 256.  She went on to beat Ay (TUR) 15-11 before losing 15-10 to Petri (HUN) in the round of 64.  Tatijana Stewart (USA) made it a double-gold winning tournament for the American team as she beat Aurore Favre (SUI) 15-8 in the final.  Bianca Benea (ROU) and Kenyata Plenty (USA) went home with the bronze medals.

GB placings:  Sheffield 39^th & Oien 174^th.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Men’s Sabre – Camden

One hundred and nine fencers from sixteen countries took part in this event including forty-one from Great Britain.  Just eight remained when the repechage began in the round of 32.  Thomas Hamilton, Alex Le Maitre and Joe Pocknell lost twice in a row, thus finished in the top 32.  James Edwards won his first fight but then lost twice to finish inside the top 24.  Jamie Craze, Bertie Holdsworth, Thomas Jackson and Henry Talbot all combined two wins with two defeats to make the top 16.

Diego Santamaria (ESP) took the title, winning the gold medal match 15-8 against Arne De Ridder (BEL) whilst Mathieu Belkessam (FRA) and Lorenzo Roma (ITA) picked up the bronze medals.

In the team event, Alexander Boote, James Edwards, Bertie Holdsworth and Samuel Rooney lined up as GBR1 in a field of seventeen including five other home teams.  Shakespeare Swords made the round of 16 but went out 45-39 to a combined team of Bulgaria and Israel.  GBR1 had a bye through the round of sixteen and went on to beat the Dutch A Team 45-43 and then the Japanese A team 45-44, before facing Gemenos in the final.  The French team went on to win the title 45-34.  Canada beat Japan 45-44 for the bronze medal.

Full results here.

Cadet Women’s Sabre – Camden

A field of eighty fencers in this event included thirty from Great Britain.  As in the men’s event repechage was employed from the round of 32.  At that stage only four British fencers remained in the event.  Jenna Bray, Maia Fashokun, Lizzie Moffat and Molly Wood all lost their next two fights to finish in the top 32.  Andreea Lupu (ROU) won an extremely tight final 15-14 over her teammate Sabina Martis.  Louise Klein (FRA) and Ariane Lebel (SUI) picked up the bronze medals.

Two British teams lined up in the field of eleven entries on Sunday but neither GBR1 nor Escrime Academy were able to make it to the elimination stages.  Gemenos made it a clean sweep in the team events beating the Romanian A Team 45-40 in the final.  Canada beat Belgium 45-36 to take the bronze medal.

Full results here.