🇯🇵 BREAKTHROUGH IN CAIRO: IIMURA KAZUKI CLAIMS MAIDEN WORLD CUP TITLE
Updated: Aug 5
CAIRO, EGYPT — 18 APRIL 2026
Japan’s Iimura Kazuki delivered a sensational, flawless performance to capture his first senior international title at the rescheduled Cairo Men’s Foil World Cup. The 2024 Asian Championship silver medallist, ranked World number 16, chose the perfect moment to break through for his first podium of the 2025–26 season, steamrolling an elite field to defeat the in-form Alexander Choupenitch 15–10 in the final.
Choupenitch (CZE), the World number 5 and Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist, secured the silver to crown an exceptionally consistent run. The runner-up finish marks his third consecutive podium appearance and his fourth medal of a spectacular season. The bronze medals were claimed by France's rising star Anas Anane and the USA's Olympic bronze medallist Nick Itkin.
Path to the Podium
Iimura Kazuki (World number 16) put on an absolute clinic in direct elimination fencing, remarkably keeping every single opponent to single-digit scores until the final. His relentless march began with a 15–8 win over teammate and reigning Asian Champion Matsuyama Kyosuke. In the round of 16, Iimura blew the bracket wide open by completely dismantling World number 2 Guillaume Bianchi (ITA)—the reigning European Champion who had won the last two Grand Prix events—with a comprehensive 15–8 scoreline. He carried that devastating rhythm through the quarter-finals and a 15–8 semi-final win over Itkin before sealing the gold.
Alexander Choupenitch (World number 5) earned his place in the final through trademark grit and experience. His toughest tactical test came in the quarter-finals, where he locked horns with World number 4 Alexander Massialas (USA). Choupenitch edged out the reigning Pan American Champion 15–13 in a high-octane encounter before accounting for France's Anane 15–12 in the semi-finals.
Anas Anane (World number 15) celebrated his first regular circuit medal with a highly impressive run through a competitive field. The 21-year-old reigning European silver medallist is rapidly establishing himself as a major threat on the senior tour. He secured his historic bronze by navigating tough tactical battles, including a 15–12 triumph over Italy's Giulio Lombardi in the 32 and a 15–12 quarter-final victory against the USA's Bryce Louie.
Nick Itkin (World number 6) added a Cairo bronze to his Turin Grand Prix silver to lock down his second podium of the campaign. The Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist looked sharp all day, treating local fans to a clinical 15–10 round of 16 victory over Egypt's two-time African Champion Mohamed Hamza. He followed that up with a stellar 15–12 quarter-final win over World number 3 Kirill Borodachev (AIN) before running into the Iimura buzzsaw in the final four.
