🇺🇸 AMERICAN TEEN SENSATION WILLIAM MORRILL STUNS FIELD TO WIN BUDAPEST GOLD
Updated: Aug 5
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY — 28 MARCH 2026
Nineteen-year-old William Morrill (USA) achieved a massive career milestone, capturing his first-ever individual Senior World Cup title at the Gerevich-Kovács-Kárpáti Men’s Sabre World Cup in Budapest. The reigning Pan American silver medallist, ranked World number 20, navigated a highly competitive field of elite fencers to defeat Italy’s Matteo Neri 15–13 in an electric gold medal bout.
Neri (ITA), the World number 61, took home a well-deserved silver medal, marking his third career senior international podium finish. The bronze medals were shared by Tunis Grand Prix champion Sebastien Patrice (FRA) and Hungary's legendary three-time Olympic Champion Aron Szilagyi.
Path to the Podium
William Morrill (World number 20) displayed incredible mental fortitude as he fought through a gruelling draw. After dominating South Korea's Na 15–5, he survived a razor-thin 15–14 cliffhanger against France’s Boureau in the round of 32. Morrill hit his stride in the later rounds, taking down Romania's Vlad Covaliu 15–10 and his fellow countryman Antonio Heathcock 15–10 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, he held off a fierce challenge from defending champion Sebastien Patrice, winning 15–13 before repeating that exact scoreline to secure gold against Neri.
Matteo Neri (World number 61) was the undisputed surprise package of the tournament. His sensational underdog run kicked off with a tense 15–14 victory over Romania's Cidu in the round of 64. Neri proved his form was no fluke by systematically taking down major targets, including a dominant 15–10 quarter-final upset over reigning European Champion Rémi Garrigue (FRA). He then stunned the partisan home crowd by out-dueling Szilagyi 15–12 in the semi-finals to secure his place in the final.
Sebastien Patrice (World number 5) put together a brilliant title defense in the Hungarian capital. The in-form French star—who had already claimed the Tunis GP gold and Orleans GP bronze this season—showed immense grit by winning consecutive tight matches, including a thrilling 15–14 triumph over three-time African Champion Mohamed Amer (EGY) in the quarter-finals before being halted by Morrill.
Aron Szilagyi (World number 17) treated the home fans to a vintage display of world-class sabre fencing. In the round of 16, he utterly dominated World number 4 Krisztian Rabb 15–8, before putting on a defensive masterclass to dismantle 2022 World silver medallist Maxime Pianfetti (FRA) 15–6 in the quarter-finals. Although stopped in the semi-finals, his 24th career World Cup medal cements his enduring elite status.
