🇨🇠SWISS MAESTROS SOAR IN BERNE TO CLAIM THIRD WORLD CUP TEAM GOLD
Updated: Aug 6
BERNE, SWITZERLAND — 24 MAY 2026
World number 3 Switzerland capped off a phenomenally dominant team campaign on home soil, capturing the gold medal at the season-closing Berne Men’s Epee World Cup. The formidable Swiss collective—comprising Alexis Bayard, Ian Hauri, Lucas Malcotti, and Sven Vineis—reclaimed their early-season supremacy to dismantle a star-studded Italy squad 45–33 in the final at the Wankdorfhalle.
The spectacular home victory secures a golden trilogy for the Swiss team this season, adding the Berne crown to their previous titles from the Vancouver and Fujairah World Cups.
While Switzerland stood atop the podium, Italy settled for the silver medal, securing their third runner-up finish of a highly consistent campaign. France bounced back to claim the bronze, while Ukraine concluded their regular season with an impressive fourth-place finish.
Path to the Podium
Switzerland (World number 3) put on a tactical clinic, combining clinical direct elimination blowouts with exceptional late-match composure under pressure. After comfortably dispatching Finland and the Czech Republic, they edged past Kazakhstan 38–36 in the quarter-finals to set up a blockbuster semi-final clash with world number 2 France.
The semi-final became an instant tactical classic where the clock dictated the drama. Switzerland built an early 10–5 advantage, but the French methodically clawed back to trail by just three points after six legs. The penultimate leg exploded into a furious exchange, with Ian Hauri scoring 11 crucial touches to Kendrick Jean-Joseph’s 10, handing a 35–31 cushion to Swiss anchor Lucas Malcotti. Despite a ferocious 6-hit onslaught from France's Aymerick Gally, Malcotti expertly managed the remaining time to pilot the Swiss into the final with a 38–37 victory.
In the gold medal match, Switzerland took the fight to the Italians from the very first exchange. Hauri established a quick 13–9 lead after three legs before Malcotti broke the match wide open in the fifth, out-scoring Matteo Galassi 9–5 to stretch the lead to 23–17. Hauri then extended the gap to a commanding ten points (28–18), allowing individual star Alexis Bayard to effectively put the tie to bed with an authoritative 7–3 leg over Galassi. From there, the hosts comfortably cruised over the finish line.
Italy (World number 5) earned their place in the final with a thoroughly clinical display through the upper section of the draw. The squad—featuring Davide Di Veroli, Matteo Galassi, Simone Mencarelli, and veteran Andrea Santarelli—routinely dismantled Saudi Arabia, China, and Austria. In the semi-finals against Ukraine, after a cagey, slow-scoring start, Santarelli blew the match open in the fourth leg, executing an exceptional 11–5 run over Mykhailo Krasniuk to secure a 30–15 cushion that the Italians easily converted into a 45–28 victory.
France (World number 2) secured their third podium finish of the season, adding a Berne bronze to their back-to-back gold medals from Heidenheim and Astana. The elite unit of Alexandre Bardenet, Aymerick Gally, Kendrick Jean-Joseph, and Luidgi Midelton rebounded from their single-touch semi-final heartbreak to control the strip against Ukraine in the third-place play-off. Leading 30–26 after a high-scoring middle period, the French trio utilized a remarkably composed defensive finish to ease to a 45–37 win.
Ukraine (World number 8) celebrated their finest team performance of the 2025–26 circuit by locking down fourth place. The quartet of Nikita Koshman, Mykhailo Krasniuk, Roman Svichkar, and Volodymyr Stankevych illustrated superb chemistry, navigating past Colombia, the Neutral Athletes (AIN), and Hong Kong, China to book their well-deserved top-four appearance.
