Hosts Italy secure final golds to confirm fencing domination at 2019 FISU Summer Universiade

In front of a partisan crowd at the Centro Universitario Sportivo Salerno, both the men’s foil and women’s sabre teams took the top prizes to complete the host nation’s haul of 13 medals in 12 events including five FISU titles.

In the men’s foil, the trio of Guillaume Bianchi, Francesco Ingargiola and Damiano Rosatelli dispatched South Korea’s Choi Min-seo, Seo Jung-min and Seo Myeong Cheol by 45-22 in the gold-medal match. On their way to the team final, the locals beat India 45-11 in the round of 16, China 45-28 in the quarter-finals and Russia 45-30 in the semis. Italy’s supremacy in team foil was underlined as Rosatelli and Bianchi had claimed individual gold and silver in the same discipline last Thursday.

In the bout for third place and the bronze medal, Russia’s Iskander Akhmetov, Askar Khamzin and Grigoriy Semenyuk were equally dominant by beating Australia 45-23.

It was a closer encounter in the women’s team sabre final as Italy and France exchanged touch for touch for the majority of the contest. However Michela Battiston, Rebecca Gargano and Lucia Lucarini finally prevailed 45-41 over France’s Sara Balzer, Sarah Noutcha and Margaux Rifkiss. The thrilling affair featured all three medallists from the individual event, including Balzer (who took gold), Lucarini (silver) and Battiston (bronze). To reach the final, the Italians had previously downed Great Britain 45-34 in the quarter-finals and Russia 45-33 in the semi-finals, after earning a bye in the round of 16.

South Korea’s Hong Haeun, Jeon Su-in and Kim Jeongmi went on to defeat Russia 45-29 in the bronze-medal confrontation.

Another nation who have enjoyed a dominant Universaide in one sporting discipline has been Chinese Taipei who won the last gold medal on offer in the shooting competitions which concluded at Mostra d’Oltremare.
The final gold came in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event which saw Korea miss out on the gold by just 0.2 difference and having to settle for silver. In the bronze medal match, host Italy beat India as 16-12.

With Shooting Sports at this year’s Universade now at a close, Chinese Taipei emerged as being the most successful country on the medal count with three golds, two silver and one bronze. Iran were second with two golds, two silver and a bronze, followed by Italy in third with two golds, and a silver and bronze apiece.