Inalpi Trophy: Martina Batini, Guillaume Bianchi and Arianna Errigo in celebration

Blue Hapotheosis at the Inalpi Arena. On the magical Saturday of Italian fencing, opened with the historic Italian triumph in the Women’s Epee World Cup, Italy dominates the foil Grand Prix “Inalpi Trophy” in Turin, where a double triumph arrives: Martina Batini is gold in the women’s competition, with Arianna Errigo silver medalist, while Guillaume Bianchi conquers the men’s event. Thus, the Hymn of Mameli sounds twice in the home GP, at the sunset of a day of great emotions, which confirms CT Simone Vanni’s group more and more the leader of world foil.

Martino Davidi

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On her stellar path to her second World Cup victory of the season, following her gold in Busan, South Korea, Martina Batini made her debut by winning the home challenge in Italy with Matilde Calvanese (15-10) and went on to overcome Romania’s Candescu (15-10) and Spain’s Tucker (15-10). The mortgage on her 19th career medal on the World Cup circuit came by beating Ukraine’s Dariia Myroniuk 15-4. The Tuscan Carabiniera continued her climb by also dominating the semifinal against Japan’s Sera Azuma, beaten 15-8. Thus came the all-Italian final.

Straordinary path also for Arianna Errigo who debuted by beating US Cho (15-11), before winning the blue derby with Alice Volpi (15-8). In the round of 16, the 15-12 success over Japan’s Tsuji, remounting, gritting her teeth, to reach the quarters and there overcoming Korea’s Mo with an overwhelming 15-8, in the bout that gave the Carabiniere from Monza the certainty of her 62nd World Cup podium. But she did not stop there: dragged by the warmth of the Inalpi Arena, the captain of the Italian foil won the semifinal against Japan’s Komaki Kikuchi at the last hit, a 15-14 that made the roar of the Turin audience explode as they saw her medal for the tenth time on these platforms. Stellar numbers.

In the final between two super-champions, two mothers, two authentic mattresses of the international platforms, Martina Batini won with a score of 15-13 over Arianna Errigo. For both of them the ovation of the Inalpi Arena audience.

“I am overjoyed with this first victory, in front of a large, warm and extraordinary audience – said Martina Batini after the last hit -. It is my second gold in a World Cup season that I am facing with confidence and enthusiasm, supported by my family, the gym where I train, the National team. To win in Turin, then, is definitely special.”