🇮🇹 BIANCHI TRIUMPHS IN TURIN TO CLAIM MAIDEN GRAND PRIX TITLE
Updated: Aug 5
TURIN, ITALY — 7 FEBRUARY 2026
Reigning European Champion Guillaume Bianchi (ITA) delighted the home crowd at the Inalpi Arena by capturing his first-ever Grand Prix title. Bianchi, who has been in exceptional form this season with two World Cup bronze medals already to his name, climbed to the top step of the podium in Turin after defeating the USA’s Nick Itkin 15–11 in a high-octane final.
Itkin (USA), the Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist, secured the silver—marking his fifth career Grand Prix medal. The bronze medals were shared by two Olympic legends: two-time Olympic gold medallist Cheung Ka Long (HKG) and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Alexander Choupenitch (CZE). For Choupenitch, the result continues a stellar campaign following his victory in Mallorca and bronze in Paris.
Path to the Podium
Guillaume Bianchi (World number 2) showed immense heart throughout the day, surviving back-to-back 15–14 "sudden death" thrillers in the round of 32 and round of 16 against Kawamura (JPN) and Anane (FRA) respectively. After settling his nerves, he dispatched Kirill Borodachev (AIN) 15–12 in the quarter-finals and maintained that momentum to beat Choupenitch in the semi-finals before clinching gold.
Nick Itkin (World number 8) produced some of the most dominant fencing of the tournament in the latter stages. After a series of tactical wins in the early rounds, he overwhelmed Italy’s Martini 15–4 in the quarter-finals and neutralized the offensive threat of Cheung Ka Long with a 15–9 semi-final victory.
Cheung Ka Long (World number 14) reached his first podium of the season with a vintage display of precision. His route to bronze was highlighted by a stunning 15–4 dismantling of World number 4 Alexander Massialas (USA) in the round of 16, followed by a clinical 15–7 victory over Egypt’s Mohamed Hamza in the quarter-finals.
Alexander Choupenitch (World number 5) cruised through the bracket with the confidence of a season leader. He conceded no more than 11 touches in any match leading up to the semi-finals, including an 15–9 win over World number 11 Daniel Dosa (HUN) and a 15–8 quarter-final victory over Japan’s Baba.
