Fencing: Olympic qualification for French foilists and Apithy's saber victory - France 24

Paris (AFP)

The French foilers ensured their team qualification for the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, taking second place in the World Cup stage in Katowice (Poland), while the saber fencer Bolade Apithy won in Montreal.

Ysaora Thibus, Anita Blaze, Pauline Ranvier and Astrid Guyart rose to the final by defeating Italy, the strongest nation in foil among the ladies, in halves 42 to 41 to sudden death, Thibus scoring the last touch against Elisa Di Francisca, Olympic champion in London-2012 and silver four years later in Rio.

In the final, the French women narrowly lost 45 hits to 42 against Russia, the reigning world champion.

With this result, they are sure to complete the qualification phase in the four best nations in the world and thus validate their collective ticket, as well as three places for the individual event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (July 24-August 9).

There are already three teams qualified per team: the foil for men and women and the epee for men. The ladies saber is in favorable waivers, while the ladies sword and the gentlemen saber are more in difficulty.

In Montreal, the saber saber Bolade Apithy (34) won the Montreal Grand Prix on the night of Saturday to Sunday by winning in the final against the Italian Luca Curatoli, a success that brings the Dijonnais closer to the Olympics.

The main objective remains to qualify with the French team, which would provide three places for the individual event at the Games. But the blue sabers are badly engaged, sealed by a ninth place at the Worlds-2019.

In case of non-qualification by team, only a French can hope to see Japan this summer, via the results in individual. With its two successes in Moscow and Montreal, Apithy has practically ensured its qualification by this route.

The fencers chained the podiums this Sunday since Marie-Florence Candassamy took 3rd place in the World Cup in Havana. At home in Coubertin, florists Enzo Lefort, Erwann Le Pechoux, Julien Mertine and Jérémy Cadot took the team podium in Paris, 3rd after a victory over Hong Kong (45-38).

These results, just over six months before the opening of the Olympic Games 2020, fuel legitimate ambitions for the largest supplier of medals (118) and titles (42) to French Olympism.

© 2020 AFP