🇮🇹 ITALY DEFEATS RIVALS FRANCE TO CAPTURE EUROPEAN TEAM EPEE TITLE

ANTONY, FRANCE — 19 JUNE 2026

The Italian men’s epee squad produced a masterclass in tactical patience and disciplined distance control on the fourth day of the 2026 European Fencing Championships, capturing a spectacular team gold medal. Competing at a packed Éric Tabarly Sports Complex, World number four Italy dismantled their regional arch-rivals and top-seeded France 45–30 in an absorbing, tactical gold medal bout that completely silenced the passionate home crowd.

The phenomenal victory marks the absolute peak of the international season for the Italian team, who finally upgrade to gold after collecting three consecutive World Cup silver medals in Fujairah, Astana and Berne earlier in the campaign.

While France had to settle for a silver medal on home soil, World number eight Ukraine executed a brilliant tactical game plan to capture a fully deserved bronze medal, leaving World number three Switzerland off the podium entirely.

Path to the Podium

Team Italy, who lined up with Davide Di Veroli, Matteo Galassi, individual European Champion Simone Mencarelli and Andrea Santarelli, received a first-round bye before opening their account with a comprehensive 45–30 win over Sweden. They maintained their clinical form in the quarter-finals, defeating Poland 45–33 after the Polish squad had shocked the tournament by eliminating medal favourites the Netherlands in the previous  round.

In the semi-finals, the Italians faced their ultimate seasonal ‘Kryptonite’, Switzerland, a team they had already lost two major World Cup finals to earlier in the year. The Italian trio carefully managed the clock, grinding out a slim 10–8 advantage after the opening three legs. The decisive breakthrough came in the sixth bout when Di Veroli executed an explosive 4–0 scoring run against Ian Hauri to push the Italian lead to 21–13. Mencarelli then turned the screw in the penultimate leg, outscoring Hauri 13–8 to hand a massive cushion to Di Veroli, who easily anchored Italy into the final with a 45–33 win.

The gold medal match against France was an exhibition of supreme tactical maturity. The Italians remained incredibly patient in the opening third of the bout, carefully probing the French lines to edge out to an 11–6 lead. Reluctant to rush forward and close the gap, the French trio grew hesitant across the middle three legs, allowing Italy to comfortably stretch the advantage to 24–14. Italy then brought in Santarelli for Galassi in the seventh leg, with the veteran immediately pushing the margin to 32–19. France countered by subbing in Kendrick Jean Joseph for Paul Fortin but individual champion Mencarelli widened the gap further, allowing Di Veroli to comfortably anchor the squad home to a 45–30 victory.

Team France, consisting of Alexandre Bardenet, Paul Fortin, Aymerick Gally and Kendrick Jean Joseph, comfortably advanced to the final to secure a proud silver medal. The World number one squad added the continental silver to an incredibly decorated World Cup campaign that includes gold medals in Heidenheim and Astana alongside a Berne bronze. Following an initial bye, the host nation routinely dispatched Estonia 45–31 and neutralized Israel 45–37 in the quarter-finals. They booked their final berth by putting on a clinic in patience against Ukraine, building a 12–7 lead after three legs and blowing the match open to lead 30–18 after six relays before wrapping up a 45–33 semi-final victory.

Team Ukraine, utilizing a disciplined roster of Ievgen Makiienko, Nikita Koshman, Mykhailo Krasniuk and Roman Svichkar, celebrated an exceptional milestone by securing their first international podium of the season. Following an opening bye and a tough 45–39 win over the Czech Republic, Ukraine engaged in a low-scoring, highly intense quarter-final dogfight against Hungary. With the match on the line, Svichkar carried the team across the finish line in a spectacular anchor leg, outscoring Hungary's Gergely Siklosi 20–16 to seal a 45–37 triumph.

Following their semi-final loss to France, the Ukrainians perfectly emulated Italy's blueprint to dismantle Switzerland 44–31 in the bronze medal match. Ukraine edged the first third of the bout 8–6, systematically built on that foundation to lead 17–11 through the middle legs, and defended with total authority in the closing three fights to seal their spot on the podium.

Team Switzerland, represented by Alexis Bayard, Lucas Malcotti, Ian Hauri and Sven Vineis, suffered immense disappointment to finish in fourth place. The World number three squad entered the tournament as one of the red-hot title favourites after capturing gold medals at the Vancouver, Fujairah and Berne World Cups but they simply could not break through the disciplined defensive structures of Italy and Ukraine.

Full results are here.