🇭🇺 HUNGARY EDGES ROMANIA IN AN ABSOLUTE THRILLER TO TAKE EUROPEAN SABRE TITLE

ANTONY, FRANCE — 20 JUNE 2026

The Hungarian men’s sabre programme reasserted its world-class championship pedigree on the fifth day of the 2026 European Fencing Championships, capturing an intensely fought team gold medal. Competing at the Éric Tabarly Sports Complex in Antony, World number three Hungary successfully held off a spectacular final-third surge from a resilient Romania squad to claim a breath-taking 45–43 victory in the gold medal bout.

The continental victory marks the definitive high point of the campaign for the Hungarians, who add the European crown to a consistent international season featuring a silver medal at the Cairo World Cup and a bronze at the Padua World Cup.

While Romania fought valiantly to earn a superb silver medal, the World number one hosts France bounced back from a painful semi-final exit to claim the bronze, leaving a rejuvenated Italy in fourth place.

Path to the Podium

Team Hungary, fielding an elite roster of Krisztian Rabb, Aron Szilagyi, Andras Szatmari and Benedek Dallos, launched their day by obliterating Sweden 45–13 in the round of 16. They encountered little resistance in the quarter-finals, turning aside Spain 45–30 before securing a comfortable 45–36 victory over Italy in the semi-finals to punch their ticket to the main event.

The gold medal match against Romania was an absolute clinic in technical precision and tactical stability. The veteran trio of Szatmari, Rabb and Szilagyi controlled the distance early on, edging out to a 15–12 lead after the opening three legs. Hungary preserved that identical three-hit cushion through the middle third of the bout, carrying a 30–27 advantage into the final three legs. Romania threw everything they had into a furious late-bout assault but the composed Hungarians matched their intensity hit for hit to secure the European title.

Team Romania, represented by Vlad Covaliu, George Dragomir, Radu Nitu and Razvan Ursachi, put together a phenomenal tournament path to claim a highly prestigious silver medal. The World number five squad opened with a 45–22 rout of Great Britain before routing the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) 45–27 in the quarter-finals.

Their signature statement of the Championships came in a sensational semi-final upset against top-seeded France. Although the French squad held a 15–13 edge after the opening three legs, Covaliu came off the bench in the fourth leg to score a critical run that pushed Romania ahead. The

Romanians protected that hard-earned momentum beautifully, refusing to relinquish the lead from that moment onward to seal a stellar 45–42 victory. They added this continental silver to the silver medals they won at the Algiers and Budapest World Cups earlier in the season.

Team France, consisting of Jean-Philippe Patrice, Sebastien Patrice, Remi Garrigue and Maxime Pianfetti, suffered deep disappointment after missing out on a home final but displayed excellent mental resilience to rescue a bronze medal. The three-time World Cup circuit champions (Algiers, Budapest and Cairo) received an initial bye and handled Germany 45–40 before their semi-final stumble against Romania.

In the bronze medal match, the home team completely dismantled World number four Italy 45–32. Jean-Philippe Patrice set an aggressive tone instantly, opening the match with a sharp 5–2 win over Matteo Neri. The French line-up protected that three-point cushion to lead 15–12 after three legs before completely running away with the match in the middle tier. Jean-Philippe Patrice outscored Cosimo Bertini 5–2 and Garrigue executed a flawless 5–0 shutout against Neri to skyrocket France into a commanding 30–19 lead after six relays. Italy introduced Pietro Torre as a late substitute in the final third but the French athletes closed the door with absolute authority.

Team Italy, utilizing a lineup of Cosimo Bertini, Michele Gallo, Matteo Neri and Pietro Torre, earned their first top-four finish of the international season. The Italians put together a strong morning session by downing Azerbaijan 45–19 and winning a highly competitive 45–40 quarter-final encounter against Poland but they ultimately could not crack the tactical setups of Hungary and France in the medal rounds.

Full results are here.