ANAHEIM, Calif., USA, March 17, 2019—France’s Julien Mertine took the gold medal in men’s foil in Anaheim, California, USA at the 2019 Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Grand Prix, and Russia’s two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist Inna Deriglazova won gold in women’s foil. This was the fifth FIE Grand Prix in a global series of nine, with 340 international fencers participating. The three-day event was held at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Mertine faced Italy’s Tommaso Marini in the final round of men’s individual foil, winning with a 15-11 score. For both fencers, it was a career-best finish. Marini beat his teammate and world champion Alessio Foconi in the semi-final, 15-9, while Mertine overcame Hong Kong’s Ka Long Cheung, 15-13. Notably, Mertine won against Italy’s world champion Andrea Cassara in the quarter-finals, 15-11, and Marini beat Italy’s Olympic gold medallist, Daniele Garozzo, by a single point in the round of 32, 15-14.
Deriglazova defeated Italy’s world champion, Alice Volpi, by a touch to win the gold medal in the women’s individual foil event, 15-14. Volpi beat Korea’s Hee Sook Jeon in the semi-finals, 15-9, and Deriglazova eliminated her teammate, Larisa Korobeynikova, 15-7. Korobeynikova beat Italy’s two-time world champion Arianna Errigo in the quarter-finals, 15-12, after defeating Italy’s Olympic gold medallist, Elisa Di Francisca, in the round of 16, 15-13.
Overall top-eight ranking for the Anaheim Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Grand Prix men’s foil event included Julien Mertine (FRA, gold), Tommaso Marini (ITA, silver), Ka Long Cheung (HKG, bronze), Alessio Foconi (ITA, bronze), Andrea Cassara (ITA), Alexander Massialas (USA), Alexander Choupenitch (CZE) and Valerio Aspromonte (ITA).
Top-eight for the women included Inna Deriglazova (RUS, gold), Alice Volpi (ITA, silver), Hee Sook Jeon (KOR, bronze), Larisa Korobeynikova (RUS, bronze), Leonie Ebert (GER), Arianna Errigo (ITA), Martina Batini (ITA) and Erica Cipressa (ITA).
Additional information for the 2019 Anaheim Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Foil Grand Prix may be found on the FIE Web site, with official results located here.