Foconi and Deriglazova secure gold medals at FIE Shanghai Foil Grand Prix

World champion Foconi got the edge over USA’s Nick Itkin to win the men’s individual foil event, whilst two-time world champion Deriglazova beat Italian world champion Alice Volpi to take out the women’s individual equivalent.

Shanghai’s JingAn Sports Center was the setting for the International Fencing Federation’s (FIE) eighth and penultimate Grand Prix in the 2018/19 season series which saw a total of 389 international fencers make their way to the Chinese city to compete.

In the men’s individual foil competition, Foconi was made to fight all the way before securing his gold medal, eventually overcoming USA’s Itkin by a single touch in the Final, 15-14.

To get there, Foconi eliminated USA’s Gerek Meinhardt by the same slender scoreline in the quarter-finals, before accounting for Hong Kong’s Chun Yin Ryan Choi in the semi-finals, 15-11.

Itkin for his part claimed some notable scalps, beating teammate and world champion Miles Chamley-Watson in the table of 16, 15-9; ahead of beating Russia’s Timur Safin in the semi-finals, 15-7.

The men’s competition had its fair share of surprise results. Russian world champion Alexey Cheremisinov was beaten in the quarter-finals by Choi, 15-14; Safin beat German four-time world champion Peter Joppich at the last 16 stage, 15-9, whilst Italian Olympic gold medallist Daniele Garozzo lost to Korea’s Taegyu Ha in the last 32 stage, 15-10.

In the women’s individual foil event, Russia’s two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist Inna Deriglazova was in dominant form to win the gold medal and retain her title from last year. She beat Italian world champion Alice Volpi in the final match, winning 15-10.

Deriglazova had earlier beaten USA’s Nicole Ross 15-6 at the last 16 stage, before being equally as ruthless with victories over Germany’s Leonie Ebert in the quarter-finals, 15-5, and eliminating Italian two-time world champion Arianna Errigo in the semi-finals, 15-10.

Volpi beat Korea’s Hyeji Kim in the last 16, 15-10, Japan Sera Azuma by the same scoreline in the quarter-finals, before progressing to the Final at the expense of USA’s Lee Kiefer in the semi-final round, 15-9. Azuma had earlier caused an upset by beating Italian world and Olympic champion Elisa Di Francisca in the last 32, 12-10.

The final Grand Prix event of the FIE’s 2018-2019 season international series is this weekend with the Moscow Sabre Grand Prix from 24 to 26 May.