🇫🇷 FRENCH FINESSE PREVAILS: MEN'S EPEE SQUAD SEALS THRILLING ASTANA GOLD
Updated: Aug 5
ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN — 29 MARCH 2026
The second-seeded France Men’s Epee team reaffirmed their status as the dominant force of the season, capturing a spectacular gold medal at the Astana World Cup. The phenomenal unit—composed of Alexandre Bardenet, Kendrick Jean-Joseph, Paul Fortin and Aymerick Gally—survived an absolute classic in the final, edging out powerhouse rivals Italy by a single touch, 45–44.
The gold medal marks France's third team title of the 2025–26 campaign to accompany a single silver, locking down an almost perfect run on the circuit this year.
World number 5 Italy took home the silver medal, securing their second podium of the campaign after their early-season victory in Fujairah. The top-seeded Japan squad rallied to secure the bronze, while home favourites Kazakhstan fought valiantly to place fourth.
Path to the Podium
France (World number 2) put together a masterful tactical day, sweeping past Qatar, Denmark, and Uzbekistan with minimum fuss. In the semi-finals, they handled a roaring home crowd to defeat Kazakhstan 45–38. The gold medal showdown against Italy was a masterpiece of elite épée fencing. In a blistering anchor leg, France kept their composure through an exchange of high-pressure touches to land the decisive point and claim the title.
Italy (World number 5) earned their spot in the final by navigating a brutal lower-bracket gauntlet. The lineup of Davide Di Veroli, Matteo Galassi, Simone Mencarelli and Andrea Santarelli looked exceptionally sharp, dismantling world number 4 Switzerland 45–36 in the quarter-finals. They followed this with an incredibly precise 45–42 tactical victory over top seeds Japan in the semi-finals before falling just a single touch short of the ultimate prize.
Japan (World number 1) bounced back from their semi-final heartbreaker to secure the bronze medal. The quartet of Furuta Ikuo, Koki Kano, Akira Komata and Matsumoto Ryu out-maneuvered a spirited Kazakh squad in a tight 44–42 bronze-medal play-off, logging their first team World Cup medal of the season.
Kazakhstan (World number 6) provided the local spectators with a brilliant, gritty performance. Elmir Alimzhanov, Alexandr Fedotov, Vadim Sharlaimov and Nikita Zhulinskiy showed incredible nerves of steel to edge Poland 42–41 in the round of 16, followed by a superb 45–40 upset over the USA in the quarter-finals, earning the program its first top-4 finish of the season.
