davidcook

This week, the Fencing World Championships have been running in St Petersburg.
Just in case anyone was interested, the results of the individual competitions (teams events still have a couple of days to go) :

Women's Sabre (91 entries) :

1	NETCHAEVA	Elena	RUS
2	TAN	Xue	CHN
3	JOZWIAK	Bogna	POL
3	MARZOCCA	Gioia	ITA

Australians: Jess Brooks (68th) (GBR had 4 in the last 64, the best at 33)

Men's Sabre (111) :

1	POZDNIAKOV	Stanislav	RUS
2	MONTANO	Aldo	ITA
3	LIMBACH	Nicolas	GER
3	OH	Eun Seok	KOR

No Australians in this event, 2 GBR fencers in the last 64.

Men's Foil (124) :

1	JOPPICH	Peter	GER
2	BALDINI	Andrea	ITA
3	KLEIBRINK	Benjamin	GER
3	LEI	Sheng	CHN

Australians: Frank Bartollilo (45th) (GBR - Richard Kruse was 15th, two others made the last 64)

Women's Foil (92) :

1	VEZZALI	Valentina	ITA
2	GRANBASSI	Margherita	ITA
3	MOHAMED	Aida	HUN
3	TRILLINI	Giovanna	ITA

Australians: Jo Halls (47th) (GBR: one just in last 64, one just outside)

Women's Epee (126) :

1	HEIDEMANN	Britta	GER
2	LI	Na	CHN
3	EMBRICH	Irina	EST
3	NISIMA	Maureen	FRA

Australians : Evelyn Halls (60th) (GBR : one at 72)

Men's Epee (168) :

1	KULCSAR	Krisztian	HUN
2	BOISSE	Eric	FRA
3	CONFALONIERI	Diego	ITA
3	JEANNET	Jerome	FRA

Australians : Seamus Robinson (72nd) (GBR: Two in the last 64, two outside)
Surprise results : Alfredo Rota in 64th place, and Pavel Kolobkov (five times World Champion, Olympic Gold medallist) in 65th.

Of those 168 fencers, I've fenced 11, the top placed at this World Championships being Denis Bade of Finland (12th), who I beat in a pool bout in a satellite tournament last year. Fencing is a funny sport ...