Preview fencing day 5
For the second day of the team fencing competition, Tauron Arena will be the scene for the women’s team epee and men’s team foil event.
The women’s epee event, which commences at 09:00 AM, is sure to be filled with excitement. Out of the top 10 teams in the world, seven are European and will all be present in Kraków to battle for the gold medal and the valuable Olympic qualification points. At the top of the seeding sits reigning European champions France, who has three of their fencers currently in the top 16 of the world. Of course Italy are strong contenders, winning silver both in the world and theEuropean championships of 2022. Also the Polish team are in the mix, ranked 4th in the world, as are Ukraine, world no. 5 to which the individual champion BEZHURA (UKR) belongs. It will be a tough fight, with teams like Switzerland, Hungary, Estonia and Israel also smelling blood.
In men’s foil, as in women’s, Italy and France are clear favourites. The world no. 2 and world no. 4 have both had splendid seasons, and between them boast six fencers in the top 20 of the world. Close behind is the world no. 8 team Poland, who hopes to ride the wave of success this competition has been with their two gold medals. In the race for gold we will also find Ukraine, Great Britain, Germany, and Hungary, ranked 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th in the world respectively.