Guillaume Bianchi’s dramatic final-strip comeback secures foil gold against hosts Hong Kong, before the women’s épée team holds off Estonia an hour later. The golds extend Italy’s lead at the top of the fencing medal table.
Italy won both the men’s foil and women’s épée team events at the world fencing championships in Hong Kong on Tuesday, in a memorable afternoon for the Azzurri that further strengthened their position at the top of the medals table.
Guillaume Bianchi, Filippo Macchi, Tommaso Marini and Tommaso Martini came from behind to beat hosts Hong Kong 45-44 in a final that went down to the very last touch. Italy were four points down when Bianchi took to the strip for the contest’s final section, but he clawed back the deficit before winning it with the last attack of the bout.
Barely an hour later, Italy were back on top of the podium. The women’s épée team of Alberta Santuccio, Giulia Rizzi, Gaia Caforio and Rossella Fiamingo held off a late rally from Estonia to win their final 31-30, completing a golden hour for the Azzurri.
Italy extends its lead at the top
The two victories consolidate Italy’s position at the top of the championship medal table, with the team now holding three golds and four silvers overall. The haul underlines the strength of Italian fencing across multiple weapons and both the men’s and women’s competitions heading into the closing stages of the tournament.
