News
Europe’s Best Shine at Heidenheim and Beyond
Competition
The highly anticipated Coupe d'Europe in Heidenheim and other key tournaments across Europe have concluded, bringing excitement and showcasing remarkable performances from fencers across multiple weapons. Let’s take a look at the highlights and celebrate the victories of athletes and clubs who made their mark.
The Coupe d'Europe – Heidenheim, Germany
The Coupe d'Europe in Heidenheim brought together some of Europe’s top fencing clubs to compete in intense team events across foil, epee, and sabre. The competition delivered remarkable results, with victories for several powerhouse clubs, including Italy’s Fiamme Oro, which took home four golds, and France’s Levallois, whose success in the men’s epee event marked a significant milestone.
Men’s Epee Team
In the men’s epee, Levallois (FRA) secured the gold medal with a standout performance from Houssam Elkord, Alexandre Bardenet, Paul Allegre, and Lilian Nguefack. This victory is particularly notable as Levallois has now claimed the trophy five times in the past 20 years, solidifying their dominance in this event.
2nd place: Hellerup (DEN) – August Jensen, Patrick Jorgensen, Conrad Kongstad
3rd place: CS Fiamme Oro Roma (ITA) – Valerio Cuomo, Davide Di Veroli, Gianpaolo Buzzacchino, Simone Mencarelli
Women’s Epee Team
In the women’s epee, France continued its success, with Beauvais ACA taking the gold. The team of Melissa Goram, Camille Hermay, Bianca Benea, and Tessa Goriaux delivered a strong performance, defeating their competitors.
2nd place: FCB Bern (SUI) – Aurore Favre, Angeline Favre, Magda Louna Maiga, Salema Riadi
3rd place: Grenoble Par (FRA) – Oceane Tahe, Emma Lauvray, Lisa Faure, Agathe Deschamps
Men’s Foil Team
The men’s foil competition saw Fiamme Oro (ITA) take the gold, led by Edoardo Luperi, Francesco Ingargiola, Damiano Di Veroli, and Matteo Iacomoni.
2nd place: Crvena Zvezda (SRB) – Alexander Choupenitch, Mohamed Hamza, Veljko Cuk, Milos Hrgovic
3rd place: Fiamme Gialle Scherm (ITA) – Guillaume Bianchi, Giulio Lombardi, Giuseppe Franzoni
Women’s Foil Team
In the women’s foil event, Fiamme Oro (ITA) dominated again, with Martina Favaretto, Giulia Amore, Matilde Calvanese, and Greta Collini leading the charge.
2nd place: CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU) – Malina Calugareanu, Anca Saveanu, Andreea Gheorghe, Andreea Dinca
3rd place: CS Rapid Bucharest (ROU) – Julia Walczyk-Klimaszyk, Claudia Memoli, Emilia Corbu, Maria Teodorescu
Men’s Sabre Team
The men’s sabre competition was another triumph for Fiamme Oro (ITA), with Francesco Bonsanto, Riccardo Nuccio, and Pietro Torre securing the top spot.
2nd place: Club de Esgrima El Oso y El Madroño (ESP) – Jaime Florez de Vargas, Pablo Alvarez, Yago Moran, Carlos Florez
3rd place: Dormagen (GER) – Leon Schlaffer, Leon Kuzmin, Eric Simon Seefeld, Philipp-Bernd Methner
Women’s Sabre Team
In the women’s sabre event, Fiamme Oro (ITA) once again took home the gold, thanks to Sofia Ciaraglia, Martina Criscio, Eloisa Passaro, and Mariella Viale.
2nd place: TSV Bayer Dormagen (GER) – Larissa Eifler, Felice Herbon, Polina Kohl, Deniz Selin Unludag
3rd place: FC Wurth Kunzelsau (GER) – Elisabeth Gette, Julika Funke, Christine Marie Weber, Lena Stemper
Full results of the Coupe d'Europe can be found here.
Cadet Circuit – Samorin, Slovakia
The Cadet Circuit in Samorin saw outstanding performances, with Italian and American fencers dominating in individual events, and Romania excelling in the team competitions.
In the women’s foil event, Italy claimed all four podium spots, showcasing their depth in this weapon. Giorgia Ruta took home the gold, followed by Elena Picchi in second place. Alessandra Tavola and Sofia Mancini both finished in third, reinforcing Italy's strong presence in cadet foil.
Meanwhile, the men’s foil event was dominated by the United States. Aiden Siu secured the gold medal, with Arjun Deshmukh taking silver. The USA continued its success with Biaya Kialeuka-Tiya and Luao Yang sharing the bronze, solidifying the country’s dominance in this category.
The team events also delivered exciting results. Romania emerged victorious in the women’s foil team competition, demonstrating the country’s rising talent. Poland finished second, with Turkey securing the bronze in a hard-fought contest.
On the men’s side, the United States displayed remarkable depth, with their first team taking gold and their third team capturing silver. The USA’s fourth team finished in third place, underscoring their comprehensive strength in cadet men’s foil.
Full results from the Samorin tournament can be found here.
Cadet Circuit – Budapest, Hungary – Epee & Sabre
Epee
In Budapest, the men’s epee competition was dominated by fencers from the United States, with Nathaniel Wimmer taking the gold and Andy Zheng claiming silver. Daniel Chirashnya of the USA and Greece’s Vasileios Tsokas shared third place, highlighting strong performances from both nations.
In the women’s epee event, Chloe Tolsma led the USA to another victory, earning gold, while Ukraine’s Valeriia Bilous-Gridzhak took silver. The USA continued its podium presence with Regina Lee and Alexandra Rakhovski both securing third place finishes.
The team events in epee also saw the United States performing exceptionally well. The USA’s first men’s epee team, led by Daniel Chirashnya and Nathaniel Wimmer, took gold, defeating Hungary in the final. Hungary’s team, composed of Donat Kiss, Lenard Koch, Soma Nagy-Toszegi, and Aron Petrovszki, finished in second place, while the USA’s second team secured the bronze.
In the women’s epee team competition, the USA claimed gold once again, led by Regina Lee, Alexandra Rakhovski, Chloe Tolsma, and Melinda Yao. Ukraine’s team earned silver, with strong performances from Marharyta Anharska and her teammates. Hungary completed the podium, taking bronze.
Sabre
The men’s sabre event at the Cadet Circuit in Budapest saw the USA take the top two spots, with Christopher Guffey claiming gold and Emilio Paturzo Gonzalez finishing with silver. Italy's Leonardo Reale secured a shared third-place finish alongside Jeein Joo from the USA, adding European representation to the podium.
In the women’s sabre, Brynnley McKee from the USA took home the gold, followed by her compatriot Xuanyi Zhang in second place. Italy's Vittoria Fusetti and Hungary's Szonja Felfoldi both secured third-place finishes, ensuring a strong showing from European athletes.
The men’s sabre team competition was dominated by the USA’s first team, which secured the gold medal. Turkey’s team earned a silver finish, with Italy claiming bronze. Italy's third-place result, led by Leonardo Reale, demonstrated the country’s depth in sabre.
In the women’s sabre team event, the USA’s second team claimed gold, while Turkey’s first team earned silver. Hungary delivered a commendable performance to secure the bronze medal, with Szonja Felfoldi leading her team to the podium.
Full results for epee can be found here, and for sabre here.
U14 European Circuit – Zestaponi, Georgia
The U14 European Circuit in Zestaponi saw impressive performances from local and international fencers alike. In the men’s epee event, Georgia’s Levan Diasamidze secured the gold, giving the host nation a well-deserved victory. Sotirios Kroupis from Greece claimed silver, while Vache Kukhalashvili (Georgia) and Ashot Panosyan (Armenia) shared third place, highlighting strong competition across the region.
The women’s epee event was dominated by Estonia’s Gedi-Loore Teral, who took home the gold. Katerina Tsutskiridze from Georgia earned a commendable second place, with Tamara Molnarova and Maria Reiprichova from Slovakia finishing in third, demonstrating the strength of European youth fencers in this category.
In the men’s sabre, Turkey showed their dominance with Ilhan Can Sener taking gold and Yusuf Met Ozturk securing silver. Local Georgian fencers, Demuri Jikia and Akaki Jikia, rounded out the podium in third place, delivering solid performances for the host nation.
The women’s sabre event followed a similar pattern, with strong showings from Turkish fencers and local Georgian competitors, further establishing the significance of the tournament for developing young talent in the region.
Full results from Zestaponi can be found here.
U23 European Circuit – Turku, Finland
The U23 European Circuit in Turku featured competitive epee events in both men’s and women’s categories. In men’s epee, Vaino Paavolainen took gold, followed by Jaakko Paavolainen, who earned silver. Gunnar Graesbeck and Kerkko Jaervi shared the bronze, completing the podium.
In women’s epee, Anna Salminen captured gold, with Suvi Lehtonen finishing in second place. Anni Vornanen and Vasilisa Shevchenko both earned third place, rounding out the medalists.
Full results from Turku can be found here.
What’s Next: Inaugural Fencing for Everyone EFC Circuit - Mediterranean Cup – Brindisi, Italy
Next week, Brindisi, Italy, will host the Mediterranean Cup, bringing together top U23 fencers from across the region. This prestigious event, scheduled for October 19th and 20th, will feature both individual and team competitions in foil. With talented athletes vying for victory, the tournament promises exciting and closely contested matches.
Stay tuned for more updates. More information about the competition can be found here.
As we wrap up another thrilling weekend of fencing, the European fencing community can look forward to even more excitement next week. Be sure to follow the Mediterranean Cup and cheer for your favorite fencers!