Marini lights up blue foil: “As strong as Vezzali and Trillini”

Coach Cerioni celebrates new blue fencing star

Tommaso Marini, class of 2000, has been confirmed as a rising star of Italian foil after his splendid silver medal won in Cairo at the World Fencing Championships at the age of 22. National foil team coach Cerioni praised him in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport: “Let’s leave him quiet, he is humble. Let’s not mount his head. He has great talent, a deadly lengthening and a great choice of tempo in his hits, but he still has to complete himself. He is one of the best I have coached. At that age only Vezzali and Trillini were that strong, and he has everything to become No. 1. If he doesn’t do it by Paris, he will do it in Los Angeles.”

Cerioni made a very positive assessment of the World Championships in Egypt: “In October, when I accepted the position, I said that Italian foil had to become scary again. So it is impossible to lose. Above all, the men have made the mental leap. I am an offensiveist. I found full availability, it was a great season.”