Ota Wins Tokyo Grand Prix

Yuki Ota (JPN) vs. Kleibrink (GER) at the 2008 Olympics Photo S.Timacheff/FencingPhotos

4 US fencers place in the top-32 at the Grand Prix men’s foil event in Tokyo, Japan

2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Yuki Ota (JPN) defeated Valerio Aspromonte (ITA) 15-5 to win the Prince Takamado World Cup in Tokyo, Japan on May 14th.  In the semi-finals, Aspromonte defeated 2008 Gold Medalist Benjamin Kleibrink (GER) 15-12 and Ota won over Laurence Halsted (GBR) 15-9.

4 US fencers made it into the top-32 of the individual grand prix event.  Gerek Meinhardt and Miles Chamley-Watson each won two elimination matches to make the top-16.  Meinhardt fell 15-12 to Ota and Chamley-Watson lost out in a 15-14 match to Tae-Kyu Ha (KOR).  Kurt Getz and Alexander Massialas each won their first match to make the top-32.

World #1 Andrea Baldini (ITA) lost in the round of 32 to Leszek Rajski (POL), clearing the way for Kleibrink on his quarter of the DE table.

Massialas won his first match against fellow US fencer Sherif Farrag 15-8 and then lost in the round of 32 to Japan’s Kenta Chida in a tense 7-6 match.  Getz won 15-11 against Marcel Marcilloux (FRA) but then ran into Chamley-Watson, who won 15-8.

Earlier in the DE table Meinhardt defeated Suguru Awaji (JPN), then won a 15-13 match against Jianfei Ma (CHN) before falling to eventual champion Ota 15-12.  Chamley-Watson’s first round match was a 15-10 victory over Dmitri Rigine (RUS).

In the team event, the China defeated France 45-35 to take the gold.  The US team took 9th place, losing a first round match to Poland 45-37.  They bounced back with victories against Thailand (45-34), Austria (45-28) and Great Britain (45-31).  The US is current ranked 7th in the FIE team event standings.

Final Results: Tokyo Grand Prix Men’s Foil (Individual)

(For the DE Tables, visit the FIE site here)