Ending a World Championship as the dominant force, and doing so with the very last event on the programme: women’s foil provided the perfect finish in Hong Kong, where Italy defeated the United States 45-29 in the final to take team gold. Martina Favaretto, Arianna Errigo, Martina Batini and Anna Cristino complete a World Championships that Italian fencing can count among its finest: four gold medals, four silvers, first place in the medal table.
The road to the final reflected the authority the Azzurre had shown throughout the tournament. In the semi-final, Japan, now a serious contender in every category, was swept aside 45-19, a scoreline that confirmed Italy’s control from the start. The final followed the same path: the United States were never truly able to challenge, facing a group that had already left its mark on these championships. Favaretto claimed both individual and team gold; Errigo added another silver to a career that continues to expand. The wider picture goes beyond one result. In the same days came gold medals for the men’s foil team and the women’s épée team, underlining that Italian fencing, after the struggles of Paris 2024 and the World Championships in Tbilisi, has found its way back to the highest level.
Nineteen world titles in women’s team foil history. Hong Kong belongs to that longer story, another chapter in a tradition carried forward by the Azzurre. The only interruption came in men’s sabre, eliminated by Romania in the quarter-finals. A minor detail in an otherwise exceptional campaign. With Simone Vanni guiding both the men’s and women’s foil teams to gold, Italy leaves Hong Kong with the sense that something has fallen back into place. Next stop: Los Angeles 2028.