Fencing World Cup: a super Tommaso Marini is gold in Tokyo
Gold medal for Tommaso Marini in Tokyo
Tommaso Marini triumphs in the men’s foil World Cup individual competition in Tokyo.
In the Japanese capital, where fencing was returning a year and a half after the Olympic Games “slipped” to 2021, the Ancona-born member of the Fiamme Oro dished out a thrilling performance, sanctioned by a 15-13 success in a thrilling final against France’s Maxime Pauty. In the semifinals Marini was leading 6-5 against Egyptian Alaaeldin Abouelkassem, who was forced to retire due to injury, thus sharing third place with Japan’s Yudai Nagano. At the foot of the podium was Daniele Garozzo: the Acireale Olympian finished in fifth place.
Emperor of the Japanese Saturday was undoubtedly Tommaso Marini. The winner of the last World Cup, fresh from the recognition he received at the recent FIE Congress in Lausanne, came roaring back after a season debut without sharpness in Bonn. And he did so with an exhilarating ride that saw him land in the finals without any opponent managing to reach double figures against the policeman who trains at Club Scherma Jesi.
Peremptory was the 15-4 win over Japan’s Matsubuchi in the first match of the day, then a double 15-9 to eliminate first China’s Chen and then the other Japanese Shikine. Having landed in the “top 8,” the Marchian continued to express his fencing by always approaching with ferocity so as to put himself immediately in command of the assault, even the quarterfinal against the French Ediri and the score of 15-8 is a mirror that does not lie in photographing the dominance of the Italian. In the semifinals, Marini was ahead 6-5 over the unfortunate Alaaeldin Abouelkassem (who shortly before had overtaken Daniele Garozzo), the Egyptian holder, however, was unable to continue his competition due to a physical problem. Marini, guided to the back of the piste by CT Stefano Cerioni, thus completed his masterpiece in the final against the transalpine Maxime Pauty, a difficult assault that saw the reigning vice world champion chase several times, but ready to immediately repel the Frenchman’s attempts to stretch. Hooking 13-13, Tommy placed the breakthrough hit and then, remaining lucid even in the decisive moments of the match, he was prevented from parrying and answering the victory by an infraction of Pauty, sanctioned by the referee who thus decreed the 15-13 success of the Doric foilist.
Good fifth place for Garozzo, albeit with the regret of the quarterfinal lost 15-11 to Egyptian Abouelkassem. Earlier the “Doctor” of Italian foil had beaten Japan’s Ito 15-10, compatriot Davide Filippi 15-9 and Spain’s Carlos Llavador 15-10, thus confirming himself among the “top 8” in the specialty in which he was Gold and Silver at the last two Olympics. Ninth place instead for Alessio Foconi, who was stopped by the Frenchman Pauty himself. Stops in the round of 32 for Giorgio Avola (17th), Guillaume Bianchi (23rd), Giulio Lombardi (25th), with the regret for the young Livorno-born of having lost 15-14 against the Japanese Nagano then arrived on the podium, Davide Filippi (28th), eliminated instead in the Italian derby against by Daniele Garozzo, and Edoardo Luperi (30th), while in the round of 64 Filippo Macchi and Damiano Rosatelli had stopped.
Tomorrow, the men’s foil World Cup stage in Tokyo will conclude with the team competition in which Italy’s CT Stefano Cerioni will line up on the platform with the world champion quartet Marini-Garozzo-Foconi-Bianchi.
MALE FIORETTO WORLD CUP – Tokyo (Japan), Dec. 10, 2022
Final
Marini (ITA) b. Pauty (Fra) 15-13
Semifinals
Pauty (Fra) – Nagano (Jpn) 15-12
Marini (ITA) b. Abouelkassem (Egy) by withdrawal due to injury
Quarterfinals.
Pauty (Fra) b. Choupenitch (Cze) 15-13
Nagano (Jpn) b. Massialas (Usa) 15-10
Abouelkassem (Egy) b. Garozzo (ITA) 15-11
Marini (ITA) b. Ediri (Fra) 15-8
Round of 16
Pauty (Fra) b. Foconi (ITA) 15-10
Garozzo (ITA) b. Llavador (Esp) 15-10
Marini (ITA) b. Shikine (Jpn) 15-9
Table of 32
Foconi (ITA) b. Im (Kor) 15-9
Bibard (Fra) b. Avola (ITA) 15-9
Nagano (Jpn) b. Lombardi (ITA) 15-14
Garozzo (ITA) b. Filippi (ITA) 15-9
Llavador (Esp) b. Luperi (ITA) 15-13
Hamza (Egy) b. Bianchi (ITA) 15-12
Marini (ITA) b. Chen (Chn) 15-9
Scoreboard from 64
Foconi (ITA) b. Hayashi (Jpn) 15-12
Rajski (Pol) b. Rosatelli (ITA) 15-9
Avola (ITA) b. Roger (Fra) 15-9
Bibard (Fra) b. Macchi (ITA) 15-13
Lombardi (ITA) b. Iimura (Jpn) 15-9
Garozzo (ITA) b. Ito (Jpn) 15-10
Filippi (ITA) b. Xu (Chn) 15-14
Luperi (ITA) b. Broszus (Can) 15-8
Bianchi (ITA) b. Spichiger (Fra) 15-7
Marini (ITA) b. Matsubuchi (Jpn) 15-4
Ranking (197): 1. Tommaso Marini (ITA), 2. Maxime Pauty (Fra), 3. Yudai Nagano (Jpn), 3. Alaaeldin
Abouelkassem (Egy), 5. Daniele Garozzo (ITA), 6. Alexander Choupenitch (Cze), 7. Alexandre Ediri (Fra), 8.
Alexander Massialas (Usa); 9. Alessio Foconi (ITA), 17. Giorgio Avola (ITA), 23. Guillaume Bianchi (ITA), 25.
Giulio Lombardi (ITA), 28. Davide Filippi (ITA), 30. Edoardo Luperi (ITA), 37. Filippo Macchi (ITA), 48. Damiano
Rosatelli (ITA), 80. Alessio Di Tommaso (ITA), 135. Tommaso Martini (ITA).
