Babaeva and Thomas Make the Podium

British fencers were involved in a busy weekend of international events across the globe as Seville Babaeva and Thomas Edwards brought home some silverware.

Senior Men’s Epee – Belgrade Satellite

Thomas Edwards reached the podium in Serbia at the weekend, striking bronze at the Belgrade Satellite.  He came through the first round winning four of his six poule matches in a field of forty-nine.  That earned him a bye through the round of 64 before he went on to beat Vilceanu (ROU) 15-8, Pirvuleasa (ROU) 15-12 and Puchacher (AUT) 15-13 to make the semi-finals.  There he faced Jesus Lugones Ruggeri (ARG) but was unable to progress as the Argentinian took a 15-4 victory.

Lugones Ruggeri went on to win the event beating Alin Sbarcia (ROU) in the final.  Edwards shared the bronze medal spot with another Romanian, Adrian Szilagyi.

Alexander Edwards also represented Great Britain at the event, making it through the first round and going on to beat Koutsouflakis (GRE) 15-13 in the 64.  He then lost 15-10 to Tardi (ROU) in the next round.

GB individual placings:  T. Edwards 3 & A. Edwards 31.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Women’s Foil – Manchester

Forty-four British fencers lined up in a field of ninety-four for this event and it was Seville Babaeva who came away with the best British result – a bronze medal.

She dropped two of her six first round matches but still earned a bye through the incomplete round of 128.  She then beat Wauters (BEL) 15-6, squeezed past Jia (USA) 15-14 and made the quarterfinal by beating Buday (SVK) 15-9.  She was joined at that stage by two other Brits – Arianna Balestrieri and Phoebe Newton-Hughes.  Balestrieri dropped one fight in the first round but Newton-Hughes came through undefeated.  Both earned byes through the round of 128 and Newton-Hughes beat Chua (SIN) 15-14, Gyorgy (SVK) 14-13 and Grum-Schwensen (DEN) 15-7 whilst Balestrieri took out Sniarowska (POL) 15-12, Granville (GBR) 15-5 and Brown (GBR) 15-11 to make the top eight.

Babaeva faced Newton-Hughes to make the medal matches and came through 15-10.  Brugger (AUT) saw off Balestrieri 15-11 to make the semi-finals.  Maxine Wong (SIN) overcame Babaeva 15-7 in the last four and went on to win the tournament by beating Aiadna Castro (ESP) who had beaten Brugger in the other semi-final.

Madeliene Brown, Heloise Hardie and Teagan Williams-Stewart all made the round of sixteen as Emily Beardmore, Mirren Black, Alice Campbell, Bronwen Granville and Amanda Mond all made the round of 32.

Full individual results here.

Senior Women’s Foil – Cancun World Cup

Mexico hosted the first senior “major” of the season – the Cancun World Cup.  Two British fencers lined up in a field of ninety-one and both Yvonne Chart (V1D4) and Jade Rowland (V3D3) made it through the first round.  Unfortunately they both missed out on the main direct elimination stages as Gu (CAN) beat Chart 15-10 and Yanaoka (JPN) knocked out Rowland by the same score in the preliminary elimination stage.

Arianna Errigo (ITA) topped the podium by beating teammate Elisa Vardaro in the final.  Another Italian, Martina Batini was joined in the bronze medal position by American, Nicole Ross.

Italy won the team event, beating the USA in the final as Germany secured the bronze medal with victory over France.

GB individual placings:  Rowland 65 & Chart 74.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Senior Women’s Epee – Belgrade Satellite

Stella Lancey was Britain’s sole representative in this event in Serbia and she progressed through the first round winning two of her six poule matches.  She was knocked out 15-8 in the round of 32 by Segnini Bocchia De Rinaldi (DOM) and finished twenty-seventh.  Raluca Sbarcia (ROU) beat Joanna Halls (AUS) to take the gold medal as Leonora Mackinnon (CAN) and Jovana Zivanovic (SRB) went home with the bronze medals.

Full individual results here.

Senior Women’s Foil – Cancun Satellite

Two British fencers took part in this event in Mexico but neither was able to make it through the first round.  Beatrice Taylor won just one of her six poule matches as Rachel Kwok did not win any.  Solene Butruille (FRA) beat her teammate, Marie Duchnese to take the gold medal as Julie Mienville (FRA) and Julia Chrzanowska (POL) settled for the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Taylor 39 & Kwok 47.

Full individual results here.

Senior Men’s Sabre – Ghent Satellite

There were six British entries in this event who made up a field of fifty-four.  Brynmor Saunders achieved the best British results, finishing in the top 32.  He started impressively, winning all but one of his six first round matches.  He earned a bye through the round of 64 before losing 15-13 to Fang Valbuena (COL) in the next round.  Zachary Hamilton also made the same round but lost 15-7 to Kindler (GER).  Jacob Gander-Compton made the round of 64 but Marius Dobel-Ober, Julian Ghosh and Awen Saunders did not make it through the first round.

Enver Yildrim (TUR) took the title by beating Maximillian Kindler (GER) in the finals.  The bronze medals went to Francesco D’Armiento (ITA) and Steffano Lucchetti (ARG).

GB individual placings:  B. Saunder 17, Hamilton 24, Gander-Compton 34, A. Saunders 44, Dobel-Ober 50 & Ghosh 52.

Full individual results here.

Senior Women’s Sabre – Ghent Satellite

There was a field of thirty-five at this women’s satellite event in Belgium at the weekend.  At the time of writing, full details of the results was unknown.

To the best of our knowledge, Renata Katona (HUN) won the event beating teammate Mirabella Kelecsenyi in the final.  The bronze medals were awarded to Leo Krueger (GER) and Brigitta Pentek (HUN).

GB individual placings:  Pleasant 18, Hampson 19, Corby 22, Lasance 23, Steer 28, Daykin 31 & Ruaux 34.

Junior Men’s Epee – Riga World Cup

Nine British fencers lined up in a massive field of two hundred and twenty-nine in Latvia at the weekend and Owen Jordan got the best result by finishing in the top thirty-two.

He lost only one of his six first round fights which earned him a bye through the 256 elimination stage.  He then beat Ferre (CAN) 15-13 and Opolka (POL) 14-13 before losing 15-13 to Korovin (RUS).  Matthew Dickinson made the round of 128 as Robert MacLennan and Felix Swinbank went out in the round of 256.  The remaining British contingent did not make the first round cut.

Valerio Cuomo (ITA) took the gold medal, beating Clement Dorigo (FRA) in the final as Patrick Esztergalyos (HUN and Kantaro Murayama (JPN) picked up the bronze medals.

In the team event, Britain (Cooper, Dickinson, Jordan and Sinclair) lost 45-42 in the round 32 to Netherlands and finished eighteenth.  Germany beat Japan to take the title as France secured the bronze medal by beating Hungary.

GB individual placings:  Jordan 20, Dickinson 97, Swinbank 140, MacLennan 153, Sinclair 164, East 182, Dickson 207, cooper 216 & Morris 223.

Junior Women’s Epee – Laupheim World Cup

There were also nine British entries in this German event who joined a field of one hundred and eighty-eight.  Laura Sheffield achieved the best British result with a top 64 finish.  She won four of her six first round matches which earned her a bye through the round of 256 ahead of victory 15-5 over Rognon (SUI).  She fell 15-10 in the round of 64 to Vierheller (USA).  Kerenza Bryson, Danielle Lawson and Lydia Stanier all made the round of 128 as the remaining British fencers did not make the first round cut.

Daria Filina (RUS) won the event beating Aliya Bayram (FRA) in the final.  Federica Isola (ITA) and Anastasia Soldatova (RUS) picked up the bronze medals.

Great Britain (Lawson, Plant, Sheffield and Stanier) had a bye through the round of 32 in the team event but lost 42-36 in the next round to Italy.  In the placings matches, they beat Austria 45-37, lost 45-33 to Romania and then beat Turkey 45-30 to finish eleventh.  France beat Russia to the gold medal as Italy beat Germany for the bronze.

GB individual placings:  Sheffield 44, Lawson 81=, Stanier 88, Bryson 123, Phillipson 162, Philbin 178, Plant 182, Turley 181 & McCormack 188.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Cadet Men’s Foil – Manchester

Sixty-two British fencers took part in this event forming part of the one hundred and forty-strong field.  Five of them went on to make the round of sixteen.  Douglas Ashby (V4D2), Brij Gautam (V4D1), Edmund Howlett (V5D1), Isaac Jolley (V6D0) and Samuel Wilson (V2D4) all navigated their way through the first round.  They all fought through and won their first three direct elimination fights before going out in the round of 16, 13-12 to Yeo (SIN), 15-3 to Au Eong (SIN), 15-7 to Olivares (USA), 15-13 to Ionica (ROU) and 15-6 to Valeur (DEN), respectively.  Matthew Abrahams, James Rutherford, Benjamin Stezaker and Will Yun-Farmbrough all made the round of 32.

Marcello Olivares (USA) went on to win the tournament, beating Jonathan Au Eong (SIN) in the final.  Jing Zhe Yeo (SIN) and Alexandru Pirva (ROU) picked up the bronze medals. 

Full individual results here.

Cadet Men’s Sabre – Meylan

Six British fencer lined up for this event in France at the weekend and it was James Edwards who achieved the best result for Great Britain – a top sixteen finish.  Edwards won five of his six first round fights which earned him a bye through the round of 128.  He then beat Gastel (FRA) 15-6 to reach the round of 32 where the repechage system began.  A 15-14 loss to Jouannet (FRA) put him into the repechage where he beat Patrice (FRA) 15-9 and Santamaria (ESP) 15-6 before being knocked out 15-10 by Molinero (ESP).  Barnaby Halliwell made the top 24 and Thomas Woodland made the top 32.

Gerardo Lillo (ESP) won the event, beating Remi Cadene (FRA) in the final as Duncan Glenadel (FRA) and Luis Haag (GER) picked up the bronze medals.

GB placings:  Edwards 15, Halliwell 23, Woodland 30, Watt 51, Pocknell 62, Van Hoffelen 68 & Parr 90

Full individual results here.