Circolo Ravennate della Spada. Four athletes qualified for the Italian championships. Delfino, Fava, Pizzini and Casamenti shine

Extraordinary result for the Ravenna Sword Circle which qualifies four athletes for the next Italian Absolute Championships in Piacenza, in June. This is about Beatrice Fava (born in 2003), Alessia Pizzini (2001) Alice Casamenti (2007) and by Francesco Delfino, born in 2008, among the youngest admitted to the event, with only one athlete, born in 2009, the youngest by age. The four fencers qualify through the two scheduled events: the last one held in Carrara was especially decisive, with Francesco Delfino (photo), recent team gold medalist (and individual bronze), placing 23rd (out of 354 participants), after losing only one challenge in the group stage (25th) and reaching the sixteenth finals in the knockout stage. Three women qualified in the event won by Alberta Santuccio, team gold and bronze at the Olympic Games, respectively in Paris and Tokyo, as well as individual World silver in 2023 in Milan and twice as a team. In short, very respectable opponents for the Ravenna athletes who earned the pass thanks to a superlative performance.

Beatrice Fava obtained 24th place, with only 1 defeat in the group stage and reached the sixteenths in the knockout stage, beaten 15-9 by the athlete of the Air Force, Caforio. The same fate for Alessia Pizzini who lost only one match in group 8 with the Carabiniere Lopez but still reached the sixteenths, beaten (15-12) by Bozza, also of the Air Force, then beaten in the semifinal by Santuccio. Alice Casamenti (56th in the end) also obtained the pass for the Absolutes, the youngest of the lot, very good at beating in the second round - a result that earned her the qualification - Maria Chiara Testa, before losing only 13-12 to the Lazio player Di Norcia. However, Elena Antonucci (81st), Anna Casamenti (90th) and the very young promise (born in 2010) Mariasole Romanini failed to reach the overall.

Ugo Bentivogli