Genoa European Championships: Italy gold in women’s foil and silver in men’s saber
Italian fencing great protagonist in the fourth day of the European Championships in Genoa with the triumph of women’s foil and the silver medal of men’s saber. Foil fencers Arianna Errigo Martina Batini, Anna Cristino, and Alice Volpi beat France in the final and gave Italy its second gold medal of the continental home event, on a beautiful day also for the second place of sabre fencers Luca Curatoli, Michele Gallo, Matteo Neri, and Pietro Torre, who yielded only in the last act to Hungary. The Italian delegation thus flies to nine medals, when there are still two days left until the end of the European Championships in Liguria.
Arianna Errigo and Martina Batini, two multi-decorated moms, the reigning rainbow winner Alice Volpi and the rookie Anna Cristino are European champions, after a final with the thrill, lived among a thousand emotions and won over France, the rival of all time, at the last breath and at the last hit. The blue team, the number 1 seed, debuted against Germany in the quarterfinals, suffering, struggling and managing to come out on top with the result of 45-42. By authority, dominating the assault from dawn to dusk, CT Simone Vanni’s foils then beat Spain 45-29 in the semifinals, thus gaining a pass to the last act against France. In the match for the gold, Italy led in scoring from the start but in the last fractions the transalpine women managed to come back to overtake with seconds to go. Arianna Errigo managed in extremis to pull back to 37-37, and so the European title was decided in the extra minute, where the Italian Olympian placed the 38-37 blow that earned the Italian foilists their 16th gold in history at the European Championships, from one home edition to another, from Bolzano 1999 to Genoa 2025. For the Dream Team, it is the fourth consecutive continental triumph (after Antalya 2022, Krakow 2023 and Basel 2024).
Men’s saber silver. Exhilarating the path of the Italian sabre fencers who in the quarterfinals, after a very tough start, had the strength to come back against Germany, beating them with a score of 45-38. With the same enthusiasm, as a compact team, able to alternate all four elements on the platform, the training of Technical Commissioner Andrea Terenzio overcame France in the semifinals by 45-42, thus gaining access to the very final. In the assault for the gold, opposed to Hungary, the Azzurri held their own in the first part of the match against the strong Magyar reigning world champions, yielding only in the final bars with the result of 45-35. A show of strength, this second place, for Italy’s sabre fencers, who return to the podium of a major international kermesse exactly two years after silver medal at the European Games in Krakow 2023, coming out to the applause of the Genoa audience.
The Italian team’s second place was a great success.
On Wednesday, on the fifth day of the Genoa 2025 European Absolute Championships, the team competition program continues with men’s epee and women’s saber. For Italy’s CT Dario Chiadò on the piste are epeeists Davide Di Veroli, Matteo Galassi, Andrea Santarelli and Gianpaolo Buzzacchino. They will make their debut in the round of 16 (at 10:20 a.m.) against the winner of Estonia-Luxembourg.
Technical Commissioner Andrea Aquili’s saber quartet, meanwhile, will consist of Michela Battiston, Chiara Mormile, Manuela Spica and Mariella Viale. Debut in the round of 16 (11:40 a.m.) against the selection of the Neutral Athletes. Finals – first for bronze and then for gold – live from 3:30 p.m. on RAI Sport and Sky Sport.
