The highest level of competition in the FIE season are the three Grand Prix events held in each discipline, a step above the World Cup and just one level below the annual World Championships. The first comes this week in Doha (QAT) for the Epee crowd.
The men’s tournament has 206 entries, while the women’s event had 165. Both have attracted excellent fields, including nine of the top 10-ranked men and seven of the top 10 women:
● Men:
1. Yannick Borel (FRA) ~ 2018 World Champion
2. Bogdan Nikishin (UKR) ~ 2018 World Championships bronze medalist
3. Sangyoung Park (KOR) ~ 2018 World Championships Team silver medalist
4. Ruben Limardo Gascon (VEN) ~ 2018 World Championships silver medalist
6. Max Heinzer (SUI) ~ 2018 World Championships Team gold medalist
7. Dmitriy Alexanin (KAZ)
8. Kazuyasu Minobe (JPN)
9. Koki Kano (JPN)
10. Nikolai Novosjolov (EST) ~ 2017 World Championships silver medalist
● Women:
1. Mara Navarria (ITA) ~ 2018 World Champion
3. Man Wai Vivian Kong (HKG)
5. Young Mi Kang (KOR) ~ 2018 World Championships silver medalist
6. Olena Kryvytska (UKR) ~ 2017 World Championships bronze medalist
7. Injeong Choi (KOR) ~ 2018 World Championships silver medalist
8. Yiwen Sun (CHN) ~ 2018 World Championships silver medalist
9. Karina Lehis (EST)
Look for results here.
In addition, there are three other World Cups being held this weekend, in Tokyo, St. Maur and Salt Lake City:
● Men’s Foil World Cup in Tokyo:
The third Foil World Cup of the season has 196 men entered, with the entire top 10 of the FIE World Rankings:
1. Alessio Foconi (ITA) ~ 2018 World Champion
2. Richard Kruse (GBR) ~ 2018 World Championships silver medalist
3. Race Imboden (USA) ~ 2018 World Championships Team silver medalist
4. Daniele Garozzo (ITA) ~ 2018 World Championships Team gold medalist
5. Timur Safin (RUS) ~ 2018 World Championships Team bronze medalist
6. Alexey Cheremisinov (RUS) ~ 2018 World Championships Team bronze medalist
7. Andrea Cassara (ITA) ~ 2018 World Championships Team gold medalist
8. Alexander Massialas (USA) ~ 2018 World Championships Team silver medalist
9. Giorgio Avola (ITA) ~ 2018 World Championships Team gold medalist
10. Jun Heo (KOR) ~ 2018 World Championships bronze medalist
Kruse and Cassara were finalists in the first World Cup in Bonn, with Kruse winning. In the second World Cup in Paris, Foconi came out on top, beating American Gerek Meinhardt in the final. Look for results here.
● Women’s Foil World Cup in St. Maur:
In St. Maur (FRA), some 198 women’s Foilers have gathered, with nine of the top-10 ranked fencers in the competition:
1. Inna Deriglazova (RUS) ~ 2016 Olympic Champion and 2017 World Champion
2. Alice Volpi (ITA) ~ 2018 World Champion
3. Lee Kiefer (USA) ~ 2018 World Championships Team gold medalist
4. Ines Boubakri (TUN) ~ 2018 World Championships bronze medalist
6. Leonie Ebert (GER)
7. Ysaora Thibus (FRA) ~ 2018 World Championships silver medalist
8. Eleanor Harvey (CAN)
9. Camilla Mancini (ITA) ~ 2018 World Championships Team silver medalist
10. Svetlana Tripapina (RUS) ~ 2017 World Championships Team bronze medalist
Elisa di Francisca (ITA) defeated Sara Azuma (JPN) in the final of the first World Cup in Algiers (ALG) and Deriglazova beat Ebert in the Katowice World Cup in November. Look for results here.
● Women’s Sabre World Cup in Salt Lake City:
In Salt Lake City, Utah, a large field of 162 women’s Sabre specialists are getting ready, with the last two World Champions in the field and nine of the top 10-ranked fencers:
1. Olga Kharlan (UKR) ~ 2017 World Champion
2. Sofya Velikaya (RUS) ~ 2018 World Championships silver medalist
3. Anna Marton (HUN)
4. Cecilia Berder (FRA) ~ 2018 World Championships Team gold medalist
5. Bianca Pascu (ROU)
7. Sofia Pozdniakova (RUS) ~ 2018 World Champion
8. Jiyeon Kim (KOR)
9. Dagmara Wozniak (USA) ~ 2016 Olympic Team bronze medalist
10. Anne-Elizabeth Stone (USA) ~ 2018 World Championships bronze medalist
In the only women’s Sabre World Cup so far, Marton scored a victory over Araceli Navarro of Spain in Orleans (FRA). Look for results here.
