It’s a big party for Italian fencing, Azzi over the moon
Azzi on cloud nine
“It was a European Championships to be framed.” Words from the President of the Italian Fencing Federation, Paolo Azzi, in commenting on the epilogue of the Plovdiv 2023 Individual European Championships that saw the Italian expedition triumph in the Medal table. “We are extremely satisfied with these 10 medals in the individual continental kermesse that represent a great confidence boost ahead of the Olympic Qualification team competitions, scheduled as part of the European Games in Krakow, and the subsequent World Championships in Milan. We have had such and so many important results, in a competition with a very high technical level, that the balance sheet can only be extremely flattering, proof that the work done this year is bearing excellent fruit. But other commitments await us, now we must move forward and work even harder,” the Federal President’s comment.
Thus Maurizio Randazzo, Deputy Vice-President of Federscherma and Head of the Italian delegation in Bulgaria: “There is great satisfaction for these 10 medals, if we consider that a year ago in Antalya we won 14 and it was record expedition but in the program there were also the team competitions, which we will play in Krakow in the coming days. So we arrive at the European Games in Poland with a lot of enthusiasm and enormous confidence. Very well done both our young and more experienced athletes, really a good mix, with a special praise to Filippo Macchi who remounted and won the final match against the reigning world champion in men’s foil, the French Lefort, winning a very well-deserved gold and that also allowed us to excel in the Medal Standings, another extremely important fact.”
Final haul, then, of 10 medals for Italy, which wins the Medagliere of the Individual European Championships in Plovdiv 2023, ahead of France, thanks to the three golds that came from foilist Martina Batini, foilist Davide Di Veroli and foilist Filippo Macchi; then silvers from Martina Favaretto in women’s foil, Federico Vismara in men’s epee and Mara Navarria in women’s epee; and finally bronzes from foilists Alice Volpi and Francesca Palumbo, Guillaume Bianchi in men’s foil and Martina Criscio in women’s saber.
And there was no shortage of historic results such as the all-Italian podium in women’s foil, a triumph that has never occurred in the past, and the gold in men’s epee that at the individual level had been missing for a good 42 years (Mazzoni’s success in Foggia 1981).
