The Roman swordsman of the Fiamme Oro, thanks to the silver medal won at MiCo, put the exclamation point on his ‘super season’ by also winning the general classification of the circuit
The great joys of the Fencing World Championships in Milan, the last competition of the intense season in the top international circuit, are not limited to the 10 podiums that earned the blue triumph in the Nations Medal Table: Davide Di Veroli will raise to the sky (also) the Men’s Epee World Cup 2022/2023. The Roman swordsman of the Fiamme Oro, thanks to the world championship silver won at MiCo, put the exclamation point on his “super season”, enhanced by the individual European title conquered in Plovdiv, also winning the general classification of the circuit.
Di Veroli’s success comes 12 years after the last victory of an Italian swordsman in the World Cup, Paolo Pizzo in 2011. For Davide, who leaves behind the Hungarians Koch and Siklosi, the seal falls on the magical year of the Di Veroli family: in the next FIE Congress, in fact, two Di Verolis will receive the World Cup, given that his younger brother Damiano, Under 20 world champion, will collect the same trophy in the men’s foil for the Youth category.
The International Rankings at the end of the fencing year smile at Italy a little in all the specialties. Again in the men’s epee, the 6th and 7th place -respectively- of Valerio Cuomo and Federico Vismara stand out, while also among the epee women (victory for the French Marie Florence Candassamy) there are three of the blue women among the best in the world: 7th the vice-champion world championship Alberta Santuccio, 10th the bronze medal Mara Navarria and 11th Rossella Fiamingo. At the end of a wonderful season conditioned by a shoulder injury, the new men’s foil world champion Tommaso Marini finished third in the World Cup – as holder of the trophy. In the final ranking of foil players, won by the American Alexander Massialas, Alessio Foconi is 8th, the European champion Filippo Macchi 9th and Daniele Garozzo 11th.
The American Lee Kiefer instead wins the Women’s Foil Cup, ahead of the world champion Alice Volpi and the European champion Martina Batini, fourth the continental silver and world bronze Martina Favaretto, in a ranking that also sees Francesca Palumbo 10th and, not far from from the “top 16”, Erica Cipressa (19th) and the new silver mum at the World Championship, Arianna Errigo (22nd). Finally, the saber: in the men’s category, where the Georgian Sandro Bazadze triumphs, Gigi Samele finished 5th, Michele Gallo 8th and Luca Curatoli 11th, while in the women’s Cup the French Sara Balzer finished, with two blue women among the best 16, which are the European bronze Martina Criscio (8^) and Michela Battiston (15^).
Italy always at high altitude even with its own teams. The women’s foil Dream Team, world and European champion, also wins the World Cup hands down, while the foil players are third. The swordsmen, who have brought the Italian flag back to the top step of the world podium after thirty years, finish in 2nd place in the seasonal ranking, the swordsmen third. In the saber double fourth place for Italy with both men and women.
A scenario that gives great optimism in view of the 2023/2024 World Cup, in which the Olympic Qualification will still be played. In those “special classifications”, which only take into account the team competitions played from last May onwards, to date all the Italian national teams would be admitted to the Paris 2024 Games, but in every club there will still be a “fight” to crown the dream of an Olympics with the maximum possible Italian presence. The platform, as always, will be the sole judge.
Source-www.adnkronos.com