Fencing: Frenchmen in halftones at the Challenge International de Paris

Therefore, the Marseillaise did not find a response this Saturday in Coubertin’s lair. Accustomed to seeing PSG handball players celebrate their many victories, the hall in the west of the capital dedicated the gentlemen of the American Alexander Massialas and the ladies of Italy, Alicia Volpi, who made their first appearance in this competition counting on the World Cup. The top three tricolors were Enzo Lefort, Alexandre Ediri and Isaora Tibus.

The reigning world champion, ranked 4th in the current ranking, managed to reach the semi-finals and thus respected her ranking. The Bourg-la-Reine Guadeloupe had as much merit as she had to reach the bottom four, knocking out Anita Blaise and Pauline Ranvier in succession, her two teammates from France’s silver team at the Tokyo Games, each time with one and the same account. (15-9).

The purists were hoping for a final between world champion and Olympic champion American Lee Kieffer, but Volpi (world No. 2) decided otherwise. With seven participants, the French women are ranked 3rd, 5th and 12th among the best. Too bad for Tibus, who may have the opportunity to retaliate this Sunday in the team competition. As for the boys.

For the latter, who had 11 qualifications, the performance was rather disappointing with six eliminations in the 1st round of the table of 64. Maxime Poti, 2nd in Tokyo in early December, does not qualify next, as does Maximilian Chastanet, French number 2. In 1/8 finals confrontation between Alexandre Ediri (No. 21) and Pierre Loiselle (23rd in the world), who previously eliminated Italian Giorgio Avola (No. 17) and American Nick Itkin (No. 7), turns in favor of the first (15-11 ). Unfortunately, Meldua falls for another Italian, Guillaume Bianchi, a surprise guest (9-15) and an unlucky future finalist.

Since 2014, not a single Khab has managed to win on their land. At that time, Enzo Lefort managed to succeed and since then the fencer from CE Melun VDS, twice world title champion, has entered the history of the French foil. The Olympic tag team champion also ultimately does not make it past the quarter-finals, losing (12-15) to young Hong Kong prodigy Cheung Ka-Long, Olympic individual champion in Tokyo and last year’s winner in Coubertin.