Laura Sheffield reaches Swiss Podium on busy international weekend

Seven international events took place this weekend and it was a promising season start for cadet epeeist, Laura Sheffield.

Cadet Women’s Epee – Geneva

It was an impressive start to the season for Great Britain’s Laura Sheffield who fought her way to the bronze medal at the European Fencing Confederation’s circuit event in Switzerland at the weekend.  She dropped just one fight in the first two rounds of poules, leaving her ranked second in a field of eighty.  She eased past Janssen (BEL) 15-3 in the round of 64 and was not troubled by Italy’s Bettinaglio, who she beat 15-6 in the round of 32.  In the round of 16 she faced another Italian, Pela and progressed 15-11 before beating Bultynck (BEL) 15-12 to make the semi-final.  Israel’s Dar Hecht won their close match 15-10 before falling to Karoline Loit (EST) in the final.  Sheffield was joined in the bronze medal position by Axelle Wasiak (BEL).

Katy Miles also took part in this event but was unable to progress past the second round.

GB individual placings:  Sheffield 3 & Miles 75.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Men’s & Women’s Sabre – Godollo

Hungary staged a massive event in Godollo at the weekend.  The men’s field of two hundred and twenty-six feature fifteen British fencers.  Noah Matricciani and Drew Thornley had the most successful day, making the round of sixteen.  Matricciani dropped one fight in each of the first two rounds as Thornley dropped two in each round.  Both battled through the first two rounds of elimination before the repechage system came in for the round of 32.  Matricianni took out teammate, Bertie Holdsworth on his was to eleventh place and Thornley had to beat Joe Pocknell to reach the round of sixteen.  James Edwards and Zachary Klein also made the repechage stages.  Samuel Boorne, William Jolley, Alex Le Maitre and Ian Ren were knocked out in the 64 and Mark Alvares-Peres, Barnaby Halliwell, Luke Haynes and Sam McLellan made the 128.  Gabriel Van Hoffelen was knocked out after the second round. 

Razvan Stanescu (ROU) beat Magamed Khalimbenkov (RUS) to take the title with Balazs Kaiser (HUN) and Gerardo Lillo (HUN) picked up the bronze medals.

In the team event, Great Britain 1 (Edwards, Matricciani, Pocknell and Thornley) beat Bulgaria 2 45-37, Switzerland 45-37, Great Britain 2 45-41 and Spain 45-39 on their way to the gold medal match.  Hungary 1 was too strong in the final, beating them 45-33.  Japan 1 beat Spain to take the bronze medal.  Great Britain 2 (Halliwell, Holdsworth, Klein and Ren) finished sixth, Great Britain 3 (Boorne, Hayes, Jolley and Le Maitre) were twenty-fourth and Great Britain 4 (Alvares-Peres, McLellan and Van Hoffelen) were twenty-sixth.

GB individual placings:  Matricciani 11, Thornley 16, Pocknell 17, Edwards 30, Holdsworth 31, Klein 32, Ren 33, Jolley 48, Boorne 51, Le Maitre 64, Halliwell 71, Haynes 74, McLellan 111, Alvares-Peres 126 & Van Hoffelen 132.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

There were fifteen British entries in the women’s event which boasted a field of two hundred and two.  Maia Fashokun and Sophia Potter made the round of 64 which was where British interest in the event ended.  Lizzie Moffatt reached the round of 128 as Olivia Dunn, Grace Grimshaw, Phoebe Haslegrave, Ellen Robbins Wilkinson and Molly Wood were knocked out after the second round and Erin Corcoran, Annabel Eastwood, Aneesah Khan, Hannah O’Reilly, Keely Rodda, Catriona Thomson and Lumeng Yang fell after the first round.

Reigning Cadet World Champion, Ywen Lau (SIN) took the title beating Kristina Efimtseva (RUS) in the final.  Alina Klyuchnikova (RUS) and Liza Pusztai (HUN) were the bronze medalists.

In the team event Great Britain 1 (Fashokun, Moffatt, Potter and Yang) beat Great Britain 3 (Grimshaw, Khan, O’Reilly and Thomson) 45-27 in the round of 32 before losing 45-28 to Japan 1 in the next round.  Great Britain 2 (Haslegrave, Robbins Wilkinson, Rodda and Wood) lost 45-32 to Poland 3 in the round of 32 as Great Britain 4 (Corcoran, Dunn and Eastwood) fell 45-14 to Russia 3 at the same stage.

Russia 2 beat Ukraine 1 to win the events as Russia 3 beat Turkey to secure the bronze medal.

GB individual placings:  Potter 41, Fashokun 62, Moffatt 106, Haslegrave 124, Grimshaw 131, Robbins Wilkinson 135, Dunn 137, Wood 145, O’Reilly 157, Yang 185, Khan 189, Rodda & Thomson 191= & Corcoran and Eastwood 194=. 

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Junior Women’s Foil – Timisoara

Eighty-three fencers took part in this women’s foil event in Romania including nine from Great Britain.  Isabella Gill came back from a shaky first round where she only won three of her six fights.  She went on to beat Hajas (HUN) 15-14, Pukhouskaya (BLR) 15-10 before losing 15-13 in the round of 16.  Kate Beardmore, Alice Campbell, Yasmin Campbell, Katrina Feklistova, Heloise Hardie and Amber Moss all made the round of 64 but Rhiannon Granville and Serena Patel were knocked out in the first round.

Karin Miyawaki (JPN) won the event beating Flora Pasztor (HUN) in the final as Kata Kondricz (HUN) and Janka Toth (HUN) picked up the bronze medals.

In the team event, Great Britain had a bye through the round of 16 before losing 45-20 to Japan.  They went on to beat Belarus 45-37 and Spain 45-32 to finish fifth.  Hungary beat Poland 45-30 to win the event as Japan secured the bronze medal beating Ukraine 45-36.

GB individual placings:  Gill 16, Beardmore 37, Alice Campbell 42, Yasmin Campbell 49, Feklistova 51, Hardie 53, Moss 64, Patel 68 & Granville 81.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Senior Men’s Epee – Oslo Satellite

Calum Maynard and Farhad Riahi lined up in a field of sixty-eight in Norway at the weekend, making the round of 32 and 64 respectively.  Karl Harmenburg (SWE) beat Ruben Limardo Gascon to win the competition with Karol Kostka (POL) and Jesus Limardo sharing the bronze medal position.

GB individual placings:  Maynard 32 & Riahi 41.

Full individual results here.

Senior Women’s Epee – Oslo Satellite

Thirty-three women took part in this event including four from Great Britain.  Jessica Gundry achieved Britain’s best result.  Having won three of her five first round fights, she went on to beat Chung (TPE) 15-11 before losing 15-8 to Embrich (EST).  Nicola Hull also made the elimination stages, going out 15-9 to Lejon ((SWE) in the round of 32.  Julie Henson and Heather Jarrold were both knocked out in the first round.

Katrina Lehis (EST) beat teammate Nelli Paju in the final as a third Estonian, Kristina Kuusk shared the bronze medal position with Kamila Pytka (POL).

GB individual placings:  Gundry 13, Hull 19, Henson 29 & Jarrold 32.

Full individual results here.