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In an unprecedented move by the FIE, the original silver medal winner was excluded from the event and, as a result, bronze medalist Gerek Meinhardt will be awarded the silver medal at the medal ceremony tomorrow.
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| Meinhardt (left) battles Lari in the semi-finals. S.Timacheff/FencingPhotos.com |
Serge Timacheff reported in person on the event: “Italian Tommaso Lari, who apparently broke a wireless device, threw some things, and swore at the referee after losing the final bout to Egyptian Alaa El din El Sayed, was given a black card by the referee. The FIE has upheld the call after reviewing the issue.”
Serge continues: “As a result, Meinhardt will now receive a silver medal (Lari beat Meinhardt in the semi-final), and Italian Edoardo Luperi will receive a bronze medal along with USA’s David Willette.”
Because he was black carded in the individual event, Lari will not be allowed to compete in the men’s team foil competition. This is a big blow to the Italian junior foil team.
Finally, Serge noted that the US had it’s own hand in El Sayed’s victory: “As a side note, the Egyptian had a very difficult time in the final match before winning. He was stricken with a bad leg cramp, and in absence of an Egyptian trainer, the USA provided a trainer to help him recover and ultimately win.”