More than 800 fencers from 5 continents have descended on Italy’s Tuscany region for the 21st edition of the FIE’s World Veteran Fencing Championships.
Held between October 9 and 14, the Championships saw fencers compete in three age-group category’s; 50-59, 60-69 and 70+. All were welcomed by FIE President Alisher Usmanov, who paid tribute to the veteran movement, saying it held a ‘special place in the fencing world,’ and then underlined the honor of becoming a World Champion, no matter the age.
Team USA was well represented across all age groups and disciplines, sending a strong team that included multiple Veteran World Champions. This included Elizabeth Kocab, who on day one of competition won her fifth Vet world title and seventh medal overall at this level when she beat Canada’s Jujie Luan, 9-4, in the women’s 70+ epee final. Meanwhile, Jan Patterson took bronze in the men’s 70+ foil for the second year in a row, beaten by Great Britain’s Paul Graham 10-4 in their semi-final bout.
On day two of six, the women’s combined epee team of Elizabeth Kocab and Caroline Rich (60-69), Sharrie Zafft and Cristina Ford (50-59), Bonnie Aher and Diane Kallus (70+) took silver, losing out to Finland 20-30 in the final. Joshua Runyan took bronze in the men’s 60-69 saber, his second medal at a Vet World Championship after winning silver in 2011, defeated by Hong Kong’s Wang Yun 3-10 in their semi-final.
Mikhail Mironovas was the next American to step on the podium on day three of competition, taking bronze in the men’s 50-59 foil in his first Vet world’s appearance and his first year of eligibility. Joanne Stevens achieved the same result in the women’s 70+ foil category, losing her semifinal 10-7 to eventual champion Antoinette Willard from France.
Day four saw Walter Dragonetti unable to defend the title he won last year in the men’s 60-69 epee event, losing to Germany’s Volker Fischer 4-1. The silver is Dragonetti’s fifth medal from 11 Vet world’s appearances. In the team events, USA finished 5th and 6th respectively in the men’s saber and women’s foil.
The next day was arguably the most successful for US fencers, led by Jane Eyre and Delia Turner who went 1-2 I the women’s 60-69 saber event, with Eyre taking their final 10-8 in a close bout.
It was her 7th individual Vet World title since she began competing in 2002 and her fifth out of six years in this category, a remarkable achievement. Anna Mannino took bronze in the women’s 70+ foil on the same day, losing to another eventual winner from France, Marie Chantal Demaille 10-4 in their semi-final.
On the final day, the men’s epee team won gold over Sweden, winning 26-17 with a team made up of Walter Dragonetti and Daryl Taylor (60-69), Jon Normile and Chris O’Loughlin (50-59), Frank Hewitt and Bruno Goossens (70+). The women’s saber team took bronze after being defeated by Italy 30-25 in their semi-final. The team consisted of Jane Eyre and Delia Turner (60-69), Anna Mannino and Ellen O’Leary (70+) and Chaz Smith and Robin Pernice (50-59).
FULL RESULTS:
Women’s 60-69 Épée
1. Liz Kocab (Farmington Hills, Mich.)
2. Jujie Luan (CAN)
3. Adriana Albini (ITA)
3. Agota Balot (AUT)
Men’s 60-69 Foil
1. Yury Shvarts (RUS)
2. Kenichi Umezawa (JPN)
3. Robert Blaschka (AUT)
3. Maurizio Galvan (ITA)
Men’s +70 Foil
1. Eiichi Ide (JPN)
2. Graham Paul (GBR)
3. Masashi Narita (JPN)
3. Jan Patterson (Seattle, Wash.)
Women’s +70 Épée
1. Marja-Liisa Tuulikki Someroja (FIN)
2. Marie Chantal Demaille (FRA)
3. Marie-Josephe Lepeltier (FRA)
3. Susan Uff (GBR)
Women’s 50-59 Épée
1. Pia Albertson (SWE)
2. Claire Duchnowski (FRA)
3. Ewa Borowa (ITA)
3. Ynet Van Der Veen (NED)
Men’s 60-69 Saber
1. Geza Kas (FRA)
2. Wang Yung (HKG)
3. Enrico Antinoro (ITA)
3. Joshua Runyan (San Diego, Calif.)
Men’s +70 Saber
1. Riccardo Carmina (ITA)
2. Hanns Prechtl (GER)
3. Helmut Helfricht (GER)
3. Koh Yamada (JPN)
Men’s 50-59 Foil
1. Roman Christen (GER)
2. Kola Abidogun (GBR)
3. Francois Debrand (FRA)
3. Igor Tarasov (RUS)
Men’s 50-59 Saber
1. Filippo Carlucci (ITA)
2. Carlo Nicastro (ITA)
3. Misha Mironovas (Columbus, Ohio)
3. Hartmut Wrase (GER)
Women’s +70 Foil
1. Marie Chantal Demaille (FRA)
2. Antoinette Willard (FRA)
3. Marja-Liisa Tuulikki (FIN)
3. Joanne Stevens (New York, N.Y.)
Women’s 50-59 Foil
1. Stefanie Reese (GER)
2. Anait Shaginyan (RUS)
3. Roberta Canevelli (ITA)
3. Dorothea Tanzmeister (AUT)
Women’s 60-69 Foil
1. Jujie Luan (CAN)
2. Ludmila Chernova (RUS)
3. Sheila Anderson (GBR)
3. Astrid Kircheis (GER)
Men’s 60-69 Épée
1. Volker Fischer (GER)
2. Walter Dragonetti (Las Vegas, Nev.)
3. Francois Ringeissen (FRA)
3. Carlo Romanelli (ITA)
Men’s +70 Épée
1. Michael Schoelss (GER)
2. Leopold Pasmans (BEL)
3. Dieter Hecke (GER)
3. Richard Ramero (FRA)
Women’s 60-69 Saber
1. Jane Eyre (Woolwich Twp, N.J.)
2. Delia Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.)
3. Yoshiko Chikubu (JPN)
3. Jane Hutchison (GBR)
Women’s +70 Saber
1. Marie Chantal Demaille (FRA)
2. Silvia Brown (GBR)
3. Iris Gardini (ITA)
3. Anna Mannino (Oceanside, Calif.)
Women’s 50-59 Saber
1. Dorothea Tanzmeister (AUT)
2. Friederike Janshen (GER)
3. Gabriella Lo Muzio (ITA)
3. M. Jose Padura (ESP)
Men’s 50-59 Épée
1. Thierry Calambe (FRA)
2. Evgeny Belousov (RUS)
3. Richard Larsson (SWE)
3. Guido Quanz (GER)
Women’s Team Épée
1. Finland
2. USA
3. Italy
4. Germany
Men’s Team Foil
1. Great Britain
2. Russia
3. Japan
4. USA
Men’s Team Saber
1. Italy
2. France
3. Germany
4. Russia
Women’s Team Foil
1. Great Britain
2. Russia
3. France
4. Australia
Men’s Team Épée
1. USA
2. Sweden
3. Germany
4. Italy
Women’s Team Saber
1. Italy
2. Great Britain
3. USA
4. Germany