Fencing World Cup, Arianna Errigo is silver in women’s foil

Errigo has always stood on the world podium since 2009, with the exception of the 2011 Catania home edition.

Second medal for the Italian expedition at the World Championships Cairo 2022, which, in the women’s foil competition won silver with Arianna Errigo. For the Italian foilist this is the ninth rainbow medal (gold 2013 and 2014, silver 2010 and 2022, bronze medals 2009, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019) and yet another international confirmation for her who since 2009, the year of her first World Championships, has always been on the podium with the exception of the home edition of Catania 2011. The rainbow silver follows the European silver, already won by the 34-year-old Italian champion in Antalya in June.

The Carabinieri’s Monzese faced a heart-pounding semifinal against the American Olympic champion Lee Kiefer: leading 10-3 she was caught and overtaken by the American until 13-14, but she did not give up and managed to put in the two winning hits to land in the final match, in which Frenchwoman Ysaora Thibus became world champion for the first time in her career, closing the accounts with the Italian woman on 15-10.

Errigo began her competition by overcoming Brazil’s Rafaella Gomes (10-8), then dominated against Spain’s Maria Marino (15-3) and secured a place in the top 8 thanks to a victory over Hong Kong’s Yue Shi with a score of 15-8. In the quarters came success at the expense of teammate Francesca Palumbo, who surrendered to her compatriot on 15-3.

It was precisely the Aeronautica Militare’s Potentina who collected a valuable sixth place. Prior to the blue derby Palumbo had scored successes against Spain’s Ariadna Castro (15-9) and America’s Zander Rhodes (15-13), and then beat reigning European champion Leonie Ebert with a score of 15-10 in a match conducted from the start with authority.

She stopped in the 32’s draw Alice Volpi, defeated by 19-year-old American Maria Mei Weintraub 15-13 in an assault that the Sienese had dominated until 9-4. In the previous round, the Fiamme Oro foilist had gotten the better of Romanian Malina Calugareanu 15-11. Out in the 32 was Martina Favaretto, who had made it through the first round without taking the platform due to the defection of Austria’s Beatrice Kudlacek and then lost on the last stroke 15-14 to Spain’s Maria Teresa Diaz.