Foil World Cup, blue triumph also among men
Flake World Cup, blue triumph also among men
Spectacular one-two for the Italian men’s foil in Takasaki. In Japan, in the second World Cup stage of the season, CT Stefano Cerioni’s Italy dominated in the individual competition with Alessio Foconi’s gold and Filippo Macchi’s silver after a splendid final that ended on the last strike. The 15-14 result in the derby between friends and national teammates allows the Terni man of the Aeronautica to return to the highest step of the podium (the last triumph was in March 2023 in Busan), but the second place of the Pisan of the Fiamme Oro also shines, reconfirming his place in the international elite after his Olympic silver medal last July in Paris.
The splendid day of the two Italian foilsmen è began with the successes in the two derbies of the 64-round draw in which Alessio Foconi è won over Francesco Ingargiola 15-10 and Filippo Macchi got the better of Giuseppe Franzoni with a score of 15-10. In the following round, the 2019 Wuxi world champion won 15-12 against neutral athlete Semenyuk while the reigning vice Olympic champion è qualified following the withdrawal of Frenchman Roger.
In the round of 16, Foconi nimbly eliminated Japan’s Nagano (15-4) and Macchi è undefeated in a new all-Italian challenge in which he overcame Giulio Lombardi (15-9). The two Azzurri earned the certainty of the “medal zone” with the successes of the Umbrian airman over the neutral Borodachev 15-14, after a great comeback by Alessio who was trailing 11-14, and of the Tuscan policeman over the Egyptian Hamza, beaten by Pippo 15-13.
In the semifinals, the parallel ride è continued with Foconi bowing 15-12 over the U.S. Massialas while Macchi è took a rematch of the Paris 2024 final, overcoming Olympic champion Cheung of Hong Kong with a result of 15-9.
It è thus arrived at the all-Italian final that saw Alessio Foconi take the gold by winning in a comeback, 15-14, a vibrant match that sanctioned the silver for Filippo Macchi.
For the class ’90 foilist of the Aeronautica Militare this is the eighth victory in the World Cup as well as the 27° podium overall of a super-career, while for the 23-year-old of the Fiamme Oro that of Takasaki è the fourth medal in his career in the rainbow circuit.
Stop in the round of 16 for two young Azzurri: 14° place for Giulio Lombardi (stopped in the derby by Macchi) and 16° for Tommaso Martini (beaten 15-12 in the round of 16 by the neutral athlete Borodachev). So° the other Italians on the platform today: 17° Guillaume Bianchi, 40° Edoardo Luperi, 41° Davide Filippi, 49° Damiano Di Veroli, 56° Francesco Ingargiola and 61° Giuseppe Franzoni.
Tomorrow marks the third and final day of competition in the men’s foil World Cup stage in Japan with the team competition. Italy led by CT Stefano Cerioni, flanked by staff coach Fabio Galli, will be on the piste with Guillaume Bianchi, Alessio Foconi, Giulio Lombardi and Filippo Macchi, the same quartet that won the debut test in Tunis two weeks ago, and will debut – – on Italian night – in the quarterfinals against the winner of Ukraine-Singapore.
An extraordinary Saturday, then, for Italian foil in the two Asian stages of the World Cup. An Italian morning that è began with the triumph in Busan, Korea, of the women’s foil team composed of Arianna Errigo, Martina Favaretto, Anna Cristino and Elena Tangherlini, thanks to the 45-35 success in the final against the United States, and that è then continued in Takasaki, Japan, with the double victory of Italy in the men’s individual competition marked by the gold of Alessio Foconi and the silver of Filippo Macchi.