Will Deary makes the podium in Poland

Nine international events took place this weekend with British fencers involved in eight of them.

Junior Men’s Sabre – Sosnowiec

Nine British fencers lined up in the field of one hundred and forty-one in Poland at the weekend and it was a stellar start to the Junior season for Will Deary.  He stormed through the first round, dropping just one fight from six, earning himself a bye through the incomplete round of 128.  He went on to beat Vervoitte (FRA) 15-5, Arpino (ITA) 15-8, Stepanov (RUS) 15-11 and Bialecki (POL) 15-10 to make the semi-finals.  He faced Gherado Caranti (ITA) for a place in the gold medal match but the Italian was too strong, winning the fight 15-7.  Matteo Neri beat his Italian teammate in the final to claim the title as Vasiliy Shirshov (RUS) shared the bronze medal position with Deary.

Jamie Craze, Simon Dacey, James Edwards, Joshua Maxwell and George Suddards all made the round of 64 but James Fotherby and Samuel Rooney could not get past the 128.  Nicholas Howes was cut after the poule stage.

GB individual placings:  Deary 3, Suddards 33, Dacey 43, Craze 55=, Maxwell 61, Edwards 63, Rooney 66, Fotherby 97 & Howes 102.

Full individual results here.

Junior Women’s Sabre – Sosnowiec

Maria Chart achieved Britain’s best result in the women’s event in Poland, making a top 16 in a field of one hundred and seventeen.  Five victories from six first round fights earned her a bye through the round of 128, which she followed up with victories over Michel (USA) 15-13 and Smirnova (UKR) 15-4.  American, Fox-Gitomer, knocked her out 15-12 in the round of 16.  Maia Fashokun and Caitlin Maxwell both made the round of 64 but the remainder of the British contingent did not progress through the first round.

Olga Nikitina (RUS) beat her teammate Svetlana Sheveleva to take the title as Edith Johnson (USA) and Alina Mikhailova (RUS) shared the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:   Chart 13, Maxwell 35, Fashokun 59, Davis 95, Anil 98, Corby 102, Nightingale 106=, Wood 110 & Bray 116.

Full individual results here.

There was also a mixed team event at this competition and Great Britain lined up with Maria Chart, Jessica Corby, Will Deary, James Edwards, Caitlin Maxwell and Joshua Maxwell.  They beat Romania 40-27 in the quarterfinal but Russia knocked them out 40-30 in the semi-finals.  The British team claimed bronze though, by beating Poland 40-21.  Italy beat Russia to claim gold.

Full team results here.

Senior Women’s Epee – Tallin World Cup

Estonia hosted the first senior women’s epee World Cup of the season and a large field of one hundred and seventy-seven included Julie Henson and Hannah Nesbitt, from Great Britain.  Both won two of their six first round matches which was not enough to proceed.  Tatiana Logunova (RUS) claimed the gold medal, beating her teammate Violetta Kolobova in the final.  Irina Embrich (EST) and Renata Knapik-Miazga (POL) were the bronze medallists.

The home team, Estonia, won the team event by beating France in the final.  Ukraine claimed bronze beating China in the play-off.

GB individual placings:  Henson 134 & Nesbitt 140.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Senior Men’s Foil – Cairo World Cup

Egypt hosted the first senior men’s foil World Cup of the season but there were no Brits in the field of one hundred and twenty-one.  Race Imboden (USA) claimed the title beating Alessio Focconi (ITA) in the gold medal match.  Two other Italians shared the bronze medal place – Andrea Cassara and Lorenzo Nista.

France beat the USA to claim the team gold medal as Italy secured the bronze medal by beating Japan.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

U23 Women’s Epee – Colmar

One hundred and twenty-six fencers took part in this French event including Ellie Harper and Rebecca Wakefield.  Harper did not make the first round cut but Wakefield did – progressing through two rounds of poules to make the elimination stages.  She beat Tulen (NED) 15-10 in the round of 128 before falling to Hanschke (GER) by the same score in the next round.

Kelly Boone (NED) won the event beating Zoe Boullanger (FRA) in the final as Amelie Awong (FRA) and Fatima Zhonkina (RUS) picked up the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Wakefield 59 & Harper 113.

Full individual results here.

U23 Men’s Epee – Colmar

A huge field of two hundred and thirty-two lined up in the men’s event in France including three from Great Britain.  Philip Marsh achieved the best British results.  He claimed five victories from six in the first round, earning a bye through the incomplete round of 256.  He went on to beat Lacaze (FRA) 15-12 before falling 15-13 to Conrad (FRA) in the round of 64.  Elliot Grover made the round of 128 but Farhad Riahi did not get through the second poule round.

Hugo Pertuisot (FRA) won the event, beat Michele Niggeler (SUI) in the final as Romain Cannone (FRA) and Alvaro Ibanez (ESP) settled for the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Marsh 37, Grover 124 & Riahi 200.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Men’s Epee – Bonn

The field of one hundred and ninety-four in Germany included just one British fencer, Dominic Paul.  He won four of his six first round fights which earned him a bye through the round of 256.  He then narrowly lost, 15-14, to Salzer (CZE).

Francesco Leone (ITA) took the title beating Artur Fischer (GER) in the final as Paul Weltrup (GER) and Mikail Belozerov (RUS) picked up the bronze medals.

GB individual placing:  Paul 74.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Men’s Foil – Thessaloniki

Matthew Abrahams was the sole British entry to this event and he lined up in a field of eighty-seven.  He won all of his first round matches which earned him a bye through the incomplete round of 128.  The tournament featured the repechage system from the round of 32 but Abrahams stormed through to the quarterfinals without needing it – beating Skalioras (GREA) 15-7, Katirici (TUR) 15-10, Smrekar (CRO) 15-9 and Pirva (ROM) 15-4.  In the round of 8 he faced Jonas Winterburg-Poulsen (DEN) and lost 13-11.

Veljko Cuk (SRB) won the tournament by beating Francesco Griseri (ITA) in the final.  Winterburg-Poulsen shared the bronze medal position with Petar Janicijevic (SRB).

GB individual placing:  Abrahams 7.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Women’s Foil – Samorin

A field of one hundred and forty-two in Slovakia included four from Great Britain.  Heloise Hardie achieved the best result by making the round of 32.  She won all five of her first round matches, earning a bye through the round of 128.  She then beat Morgenroth (GER) 15-6 before losing 15-10 to Kalocsai (HUN).  In the repechage she faced Szabelska (POL) but lost 15-4.  Emily Beardmore and Sophie Peake were eliminated in the round of 128 but Alice Watson did not make it through the first round.

Anna Poltz (HUN) took the gold medal by beating Oleksandra Budenko (UKR) in the final.  Dominika Wasilczuk (POL) and Mara Sofie Voeste (GER) were the bronze medallists.

GB individual placings:  Hardie 27, Beardmore 90, Peake 95 & Watson 128.

Full individual results here.