Leipzig 2005

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Maybe these changes are part of the reason why French and Hungarian female foil fencers are back on top, with good results from Adeline Wuilleme – who provided France with its first senior world medal since Laurence Modaine in 1994 - and Edina Knapek. Similar lessons were learned from team competitions. Four nations with very traditional techniques reached the semi-finals: South Korea, Romania, France and Hungary. Three hours later, South Korea made history by becoming the first Asian country to win a senior world title in a team competition. South Korean female foil fencers successively defeated Canada, Russia and France before beating Romania in the final, with the decisive touch while the score was 19 all after the nine fights. After twelve seconds of gauging her opponent, Nam Hyun Hee, 24, who came sixth on Sunday in the individual competition, launched the final winning attack against Roxana Scarlat. The other heroes of South Korean fencing are Jung Gil-Ok, Seo Mi-Jung and Lee Hye Sun (who was a sub against Romania). These four champions have won a world title in the team competition that has eluded Chinese fencers so far. Their female sabre fencers finished second in Havana in 2003 and foil fencers won the silver medal in 2003 and 1999 but never the gold. As for South Korea, their men’s épée fencing teams had reached third position on the world podium in 1994 and 2002. At the end of the day, the title won on Thursday 13 October in Leipzig is the collective reward and the justification of the hard work carried out in Asia for years by South Korea, China – albeit slightly disappointing in Leipzig 14 • ESCRIME INTERNATIONALE LES CHAMPIONNATS DU MONDE DE LEIPZIG • THE LEIPZIG WORLD ■ L’épéiste polonaise Danuta Dmowska (à droite) a créé une vraie surprise en devenant championne du monde à l’épée. En finale, elle a disposé de l’Estonienne Maarika Vosu. ■ Polish épée fencer Danuta Dmowska (right) surprised everyone by becoming épée world champion. She beat Estonia’s Maarika Vous in the final. ■ La espadista polaca Danuta Dmowska (a la derecha) creó una verdadera sorpresa al ser campeona del mundo a la espada. En final, venció a la Estonia Maarika Vosu. ➜ – and even Japan that, although still behind the other two, is showing significant progress. Even so, Romania deserved this world title that has eluded them since 1994 just as much. Their performance is even more convincing in light of the fact that a largely renewed team achieved it. Apart from Roxana Scarlat, the Romanian team was made up of Cristina Stahl, Cristina Ghita and Andreaa Andrei. Not quite as good, but still praiseworthy was France’s bronze medal against Hungary (45-33). Better yet than the individual performance, Adeline Wuilleme and her friends provided their country with its first world podium place in women’s team foil since 1975 – although French foil fencers had been Olympic medal winners in Moscow (gold) and Los Angeles (bronze). These girls were laughing, others were crying: the Italians, led by Valentina Vezzali, were beaten in the quarter final by Romania (21-23), the Russians were defeated at the same stage of the competition by South Korea (21-18) and the Poles were barely recognisable and beaten by France (27-29). However, their poor performance must be put into perspective: Italy hadn’t reached the podium in 2002 and 2003 and neither had Russia in 1999. Both these teams had managed to come back to the top shortly afterwards: Russia became world champion in 2002 as did Italy in 2004. In Leipzig, experts have noted that, during individual competitions, the new technical requirements resulted in extreme caution from female participants. Out of 63 matches in the elimination phase, 28 never went beyond 15 touches, i.e. a ratio of almost 50%. Strangely, this ratio is much lower for men’s foil: 10 matches out of 63. This is probably due to a tougher physical commitment in men’s foil and a better sense of distance even if some difficulties are yet to be resolved in this area. This was obvious with the elimination of France’s Brice Guyart, Olympic champion in Athens, Italy’s Andrea Cassara and world title holder, Germany’s Peter Joppich, all three prematurely defeated in Leipzig – respectively in the first round against Poland’s Slawomir Mocek (13-15), in the last sixteen phase by France’s Nicolas Beaudan (10-15) and in the last 32 phase by Britain’s James Beevers (10-15). This may be a bitter pill to swallow for some, but even the harshest opponents to any kind of reform had to admit that foil had recovered its purpose and that the show was infinitely better for it. Already world champion in Nîmes in 2001 – just like Valentina Vezzali – Salvatore Sanzo, 29, did not have to rethink his entire game. After about ten years at the highest level, the foil fencer from Pisa has achieved a lot worldwide and with various attitudes, winning 17 World Cup tournaments. In the final of the world championships, he quickly disposed of the promising Chinese Zhang Liangliang, winner in Paris earlier this year, making the final a one-way affair (15-4), thanks to commanding parries followed by ripostes and simple yet masterful attacks. The podium was completed by France’s Nicolas Beaudan (30) and Russia’s Andreï Dev (beaten 8-7 by Sanzo in the semifinal) whose bronze medals are the crowning achievement of years of hard work in the right direction. It was the same thing in the team competitions, as the lovers of traditional foil could not have wished for more. The final was between France and Italy in a match for the gold medal or for the prestige, as the older spectators have previously witnessed many times over, even if the last time these two teams had fought for a world or Olympic title was in Seoul in 1999 and, before that, 1956! Frenchmen Guyart, Le Pechoux, Beaudan and Sintes finally triumphed relatively easily (45-32) - over an Italian team that lost its self-control and probably most of its chances – by raising the level of their game far above any possible debate. In the match for third place, Germany defeated China, not at their best in Leipzig. Italians do not take kindly to defeat at the hands of the French. But one has to admit that, after the mini tragedy experienced the day before in the dying seconds of the team sabre
CHAMPIONSHIPS • LOS CAMPEONATOS DEL MUNDO EN LEIPZIG ■ La fleurettiste allemande Anja Mueller a apporté une belle médaille d’argent à l’escrime allemande. ■ German foil fencer Anja Mueller provided German fencing with a superb silver medal. ■ La floretista alemana Anja Mueller dio una bella medalla de plata a la esgrima alemana. final, one couldn’t make head nor tail of it. Imagine that, before the final bout, Luigi Tarantino had a significant advantage (40-35) over Stanislaw Podzniakov. Even if, in a team competition, a situation is never totally hopeless, and even if the czar of Russian sabre will always face up to his responsibilities when it comes to the crunch, the Russian - three times world champion (2001, 2002 and 2003) and 2nd in the individual competition behind Romania’s Covaliu – had to score 10 touches without receiving more than 4… This requires perfect control over the worst of circumstances, obvious superiority and unashamed success. Moreover, Luigi Tarantino is not just anybody – he was world champion in 1998 – and his team had no inferiority complex as, just before this final begun, they received an award from the International Federation for their victory in the general World Cup rankings. Therefore anything could happen. A Russian victory, having already won the last three world championship team competitions (2001, 2002, and 2003). Or an Italian victory, whose last gold medal in team sabre was ten years ago. With the scoreline at 43- 38, Luigi Tarantino, Aldo Montano, Gianpiero Pastore and Andrea Aquili had even thrown caution to the wind and started counting the proverbial chickens. How could they guess what was about to take place? With his attacks, counterattacks, parries and ripostes, Stanislaw Podzniakov scored seven consecutive touches. 43-43! Tarantino managed a little respite – 44-43 – but to no avail. Had Podzniakov dreamed of it, he probably would have been unable to achieve this. At the end of the day, history will remember the incredible success of this incomparable talent, one of the very best sabre fencers of all times, who made it possible for Russia, also made up of Yakimenko, Frossine and Diatchenko, to achieve its 5th world title in this weapon, after 15 other titles won under the banner of the USSR. Early in the afternoon, Podzniakov had already qualified his team for the final in similarly exciting circumstances, gaining the final touch (45-44) against France’s Nicolas Lopez. France, Olympic champion in Athens, but undergoing intensive restructuring, won an encouraging bronze medal. The team competition probably more than made up for the disappointment felt by Stanislaw Podzniakov, three times world champion, in the final of the individual event. After seeing Pavel Kolobkov win the world title the day before, they probably thought it would be a laugh if both of them could get back to the pinnacle of their respective weapons. Kolobkov had done it. Podzniakov was about to do it. It was always going to take guts to prevent this from happening. However, Mihaï Covaliu, 27, gold medallist in Sydney (Podzniakov’s Olympic successor) is a highly confident fencer, and he had managed to quietly reach the final. Everybody knows Mihaï Covaliu by now. All we can add is that he had just had a baby and this could be the reason for his extra determination. What could be better than winning in Leipzig for your son, as Valentina Vezzali had already said? This was what Covaliu was secretly hoping for. And, not unlike the épée final of the day before between Kolobkov and Jeannet, the sabre final between Podzniakov and Covaliu had an inexorable and ideal quality about it. Podzniakov’s firm hand, his implacable mental skill, opportunism, second-to-none technique and ambition opposite Mihaï Covaliu’s enthusiasm, physical shape, virtuoso technique, simple fencing. This clash was always going to be a classic to be shown in all fencing clubs. There would be sparks and deciding on a winner would not be easy. It was in fact a two-step process. Firstly, Stanislaw Podzniakov seemed to be in control of the final with all his power. The Russian was aggressive, leading by 8-5 and then 9-6. However Mihaï Covaliu is never defeated until the final touch. The Romanian champion then displayed remarkable prowess, muscular explosiveness combined with speed. He did not leave a second’s respite to the old Russian lion, launching hundreds of attacks or more if he had needed to, achieving an ever so subtle derobement with the tip of his fingers, and even an amazing counter riposte which must have been heard on Leipzig’s main square. 15-12: a very delicate, crafty job. And the future of this weapon bodes well, as both bronze medal winners, Russia’s Alexey Yakimenko and Ukraine’s Oleg Shturbabin are only 21. The younger generation is up and coming: not quite 24 yet and already world champion in Nîmes in 2001 (like Sanzo), French sabre fencer Anne-Lise Touya also displayed the type of fluency worthy of her glorious elders. Only Russia’s Sophia Velikaia, who, at only 20 years of age, showed a highly promising performance by taking the silver medal, had enough talent to make her resort to her entire technical range before wrapping up the final. Main casualties of the individual sabre competition, American women recovered in time for the team competition. Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobson, Rebecca Ward and Caitlin Thompson were victorious in the end against Russia’s Svetlana Kormilitsyna, Sophia Velikaïa, Elena Netchaeva and Ekaterina Fedorkina. Beaten by the same Russians last year on their home turf in New York, the American sabre fencers were reacquainted with a world title that they had failed to win since Budapest in 2000 – the first ever team title in the history of American fencing and the only one until Leipzig. There could well be a lot more to come, as out of the eight finalists, Elena Netchaeva is 26 and all the others are under 23. And Rebecca Ward was born on 7 February 1990, which makes her 15 years old and already senior world champion… The younger ones are also up in arms. JEAN-MARIE SAFRA ESCRIME INTERNATIONALE • 15
Page 1: Fédération internationale d’esc
Page 4 and 5: René Roch ■ Président de la FIE
Page 6 and 7: 6 • ESCRIME INTERNATIONALE LES CH
Page 8 and 9: son public en mal de médaille d’
Page 10 and 11: ■ La joie des épéistes françai
Page 12 and 13: 12 • ESCRIME INTERNATIONALE LES C
Page 16 and 17: LES CHAMPIONNATS DU MONDE DE LEIPZI
Page 18 and 19: 18 • ESCRIME INTERNATIONALE LES C
Page 20 and 21: ➜ hierro para el último asalto,
Page 22 and 23: ■ Epée masculine : 1. Kolobkov (
Page 24 and 25: LE FILM DES CHAMPIONNATS DU MONDE D
Page 26 and 27: ➜ LE FILM DES CHAMPIONNATS DU MON
Page 28 and 29: ➜ LE FILM DES CHAMPIONNATS DU MON
Page 30 and 31: ➜ Vendredi 14 octobre 16 es de fi
Page 32 and 33: Le tableau des médailles • Medal
Page 34 and 35: 1 96 DMOWSKA Danuta POL 2 78 VOSU M
Page 36 and 37: ➜ LES CHAMPIONNATS DU MONDE DE LE
Page 38 and 39: ➜ 1. France FRA DANINTHE Sarah FL
Page 40 and 41: ➜ 1. Etats-Unis USA JACOBSON Sada
Page 42 and 43: BUDAPEST (Co. M.) 28.05.05 1 32 MOH
Page 44 and 45: SENIORS CLASSEMENTS FIE • FIE RAN
Page 46 and 47: 46 • ESCRIME INTERNATIONALE CLASS
Page 48 and 49: JUNIORS CLASSEMENTS FIE • FIE RAN
Page 50 and 51: 50 • ESCRIME INTERNATIONALE RÉSU
Page 52 and 53: ➜ FLEURET MASCULIN • MEN’S FO
Page 54 and 55: MAI 1 er au 3 mai : Alg er, A lgér
Page 56 and 57: BLOC- NOTES BLOC DE NOTAS NOTE- PAD
Page 58: LA BOUTIQUE DE LA FIE ● Drapeau d

Leipzig 2005

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?