🇺🇸 KIEFER CAPTURES SIXTH WORLD CUP TITLE IN HONG KONG
Updated: Aug 5
HONG KONG - 10 JANUARY 2026
Two-time Olympic Champion and reigning World Champion Lee Kiefer (USA) reinforced her status as the world’s premier foilist by claiming her sixth career World Cup title. The American star secured the gold medal at the third Women’s Foil World Cup of the season in Hong Kong, defeating Italy’s Francesca Palumbo 15-12 in a high-quality final.
Palumbo (ITA) earned the silver medal, marking her best-ever finish on the World Cup circuit and her first major international podium since winning bronze at the 2023 European Championships.
The bronze medals were shared by Marta Martyanova (AIN) and Morgane Patru (FRA). For Martyanova, this marked a career-first World Cup medal, while Patru secured her second career World Cup bronze, following her third-place finish in Plovdiv in 2023.
Path to the Podium
Lee Kiefer navigated one of the most star-studded brackets in recent memory. After an opening 15-6 win over Kothieringer (GER), she bested Amita Berthier (SGP) 15-9. Her path then became a gauntlet of World Champions; she overcame her long-time rival and two-time World Champion Alice Volpi (ITA) 15-11 in the round of 16, before eliminating 2022 World Champion Ysaora Thibus (FRA) 15-9 in the quarter-finals. A semi-final win over Martyanova (15-9) set up her successful gold medal bout against Palumbo.
Francesca Palumbo produced a standout "giant-killing" performance to reach the final. Ranked 26th, her route to silver included significant upsets over 2025 World silver medallist Pauline Ranvier (FRA) 15-9 and the legendary Arianna Errigo (ITA) 15-10. She secured her place in the final by defeating Patru 15-9.
Marta Martyanova's run to bronze included a 15-4 win over world number 15 Anne Kleibrink (GER) and a 10-9 thriller over world number 4 Ueno Yuka (JPN). She followed this by overwhelming world number 7 Kikuchi Komaki (JPN) 15-3 in the quarter-finals.
Morgane Patru earned her spot on the podium by navigating a difficult draw, including a nail-biting 8-7 defensive victory over Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Eleanor Harvey (CAN) in the Round of 32, followed by a 15-4 masterclass against Japan’s Miyawaki in the quarter-finals.
