World Youth Championships “Wuxi 2025", silver for Italy in saber

Silver shines for Italy men’s saber in the team competition that closed the specialty program at the World Youth and Cadet Championships “Wuxi 2025.” The quartet formed by the three brothers Edoardo, Valerio and Leonardo Reale along with Cosimo Bertini finished with a splendid second place, surpassed only in the final by the battleship United States of America (in the stars and stripes team two Olympic athletes), at the end of a vibrant, beautiful and emotionally charged competition.

The Italian team’s path of success was a great one.

The resounding journey of the Azzurrini began with success in the 32-team scoreboard over Belgium 45-29. Heart-beating assault, then, in the round of 16 against Egypt in which the Italian sabre fencers placed an incredible comeback: under 40-44, Edo Reale reacted to the negative partial he had charged and with five consecutive hits he closed on 45-44, giving the success to the boys led on the bench by masters Sorin Radoi – Under 20 referent of the CT of men’s sabre Andrea Terenzio – and Gianluca Filippi. From there, with enthusiasm and quality, the Italian team overcame Romania 45-40 in the quarterfinals and then won with the same authority in the semifinals against Uzbekistan with a score of 45-38.

Italy’s sabre fencers in the Youth category, already gold at the European Championships a month ago in Antalya, only lacked the sting in the finals to conclude the masterpiece, where the United States prevailed with a score of 45-20, leaving the three Reale brothers and the newly crowned individual world champion Bertini with a silver medal of great value.

Fifth place, on the other hand, for the women’s saber blues. The team composed of Mariella Viale, Gaia Karola Carafa, Elisabetta Borrelli and Vittoria Mocci went one step away from the “medal zone” that they would have deserved, stopping in the quarterfinal always against the United States.
Earlier in the day, the girls led by CT Andrea Aquili and Under 20 women’s referee Luigi Miracco beat first Australia 45-32 and then Egypt with a score of 45-38. Compact and determined, the Italian sabers also led the match with the U.S. for a long time, but in the closing bars the Americans managed to come out on top with a score of 45-31. Diverted to the placing table, Italy honored the competition to the end by beating first Bulgaria 45-31 and then Romania with a score of 45-37, thus finishing in fifth place. With the regret of the missed podium, of course, but also with the certainty of having pulled as a team all the way.

After the saber (which closes with three medals after Cosimo Bertini’s gold among the Youth, Leonardo Reale’s bronze among the Cadets and today’s silver in the boys’ team event), tomorrow the fourth day of the World Youth and Cadet Championships “Wuxi 2025” will mark the beginning of the foil program, which will be opened by the two individual Under 20 competitions. In the men’s event, the Azzurrini Mattia De Cristofaro, Matteo Iacomoni, Elia Pasin and Andrea Zanardo will be on the piste. In the women’s competition, however, Italy will be represented by Ludovica Franzoni, Letizia Gabola, Matilde Molinari and Vittoria Pinna.