Report from the final foil Grand Prix of the season

The final foil Grand Prix of the season took place in Shanghai, China at the weekend.

Women’s Foil

One hundred and forty-nine fencers took part in this event including one from Great Britain, Natalia Sheppard.  By winning four of her six first round fights, she progressed through the first fight of the two-stage preliminary with a bye.  A close fight against Goldie (CAN) followed which she won 15-13.  Highly ranked Russian fencer, Korobeynikova, was her draw for the 64 and the Russian proved too good, progressing 15-6.

Elisa Di Francisca (ITA) took the title, beating Inna Deriglazova (RUS) 15-11 in the gold medal match.  The bronze medals went to Ines Boubakri (TUN) and Alice Volpi (ITA).

GB individual placings:  Sheppard 55^th.

Click here for full results.

Men’s Foil

In the men’s event, James Davis, Laurence Halsted, Richard Kruse, Marcus Mepstead, Ben Peggs and Alex Tofalides were Britain’s contenders in the field of one hundred and seventy-seven.  Davis did not have to compete in the preliminary rounds by virtue of his world ranking however the rest of the British team had to fight their way through.

Halsted (V5D1), Kruse (V6D0), Mepstead (V5D1) and Tofalides (V3D3) all made it through the first round but Peggs (V2D4) did not.  Kruse enough did enough to progress directly into the round of 64.  Halsted and Mepstead earned byes through the first fight in the two-stage preliminary knockout as Tofalides fell 1512 to X. Wu (CHN).  Halsted joined Davis and Kruse in the round of 64 by beating D. Han (KOR) 15-10.  Mepstead did not progress, losing 15-10 to Pranz (AUT).  In the round of 64 (after a day’s rest,) Davis beat K. Lee (KOR) 15-8, Kruse beat Doerr (GER) 15-6 but Halsted lost 15-14 to Safin (RUS).  With the two remaining British fencers on a collision course to meet in the round of 16, Davis did his bit by beating Joppich (GER) 15-5 but Choupenitch (CZE) saw off Kruse with a 15-9 victory.  David got closer to Choupenitch in the next round but it wasn’t enough and the fencer from the Czech Republic went through 15-12.

Alexander Choupenitch went on to take the silver medal, losing 15-7 to Miles Chamley-Watson (USA) in the final.  Erwan Lepechoux (FRA) and Dmitry Zherebchenko (RUS) secured the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Davis 11^th, Kruse 24^th, Halsted 47^th, Mepstead 68^th, Tofalides 119^th and Peggs 131^st.    

Click here for full results. 

The 2014/15 senior season continues on 22^nd May with an epee Grand Prix in Rio Di Janeiro.