JUNIOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022 - JUNIOR MEN’S FOIL REPORT
Italy’s Giulio Lombardi struck gold in the Men’s Foil event on the second day of the Junior European Championships in Serbia.
Ranked 25th in a field of 89, Lombardi won all six of his first round matches earning him a bye through the incomplete round of 128. Victories over Tertipis (GRE) 15-5, Fazekas (SVK) 8-7, Kaskow (POL) 15-10 and Mihalyi (HUN) 15-9 led him to a semi-final against Eliot Chagnon (FRA). Lombardi’s 15-8 victory meant he went into the final full of confidence.
The other half of the draw saw two more French fencers compete for the other place in the final and what a fight it was. Valerian Castanie edged a magnificent contest against teammate Paul Antoine De Belval 15-14.
In the final, the left-handed Italian soaked up early pressure from Castanie landing a beautiful attack on preparation to get the scoring under way. As both fencers sought to wrestle priority from each other, Lombardi edged the first period 8-6 combining more impressive attacks into preparation with second intention parry ripostes. There was an element of containment to Lombardi’s approach to the second period and that tactic worked a treat as he took the title with a fleche attack followed by a parry riposte, 15-9.
