LEIPZIG, Germany, July 25, 2017—The sixth and last day of finals competition takes place Wednesday, July 26 in Leipzig, Germany at the 2017 World Fencing Championships, featuring Men’s Team Foil and Women’s Team Epee. Two new world champion teams will be named, in the first World Fencing Championships since the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games.
Here are some important notes and historical background on the athletes, teams and these events:
- Men’s Team Foil
- Eleven of the last 14 world titles in Men's Team Foil were won by either France (6) or Italy (5), with the exception of 2002 (Germany) and 2010-2011 (both China).
- In total, Italy has won a record 15 world titles in this event (including the most recent in 2015), ahead of the Soviet Union (14) and France (13).
- Italy could win consecutive world titles in Men's Team Foil for the sixth time, after 1937-1938, 1949-1950, 1954-1955, 1985-1986 and 2008-2009.
- Italy and France are tied on a record 31 medals in this event.
- Italian Andrea Cassara could claim his 10th medal in this event at the World Championships, equalling the record for most, set by Soviet Aleksandr Romankov. Cassara could win his sixth world title in Men's Team Foil, joining Soviet Mark Midler in second place on the all-time list in this event. Only Soviet fencer, German Sveshnikov (7), has won more.
- Russia won the Olympic gold medal in Men's Team Foil in Rio 2016, but it has yet win the world title - Russia's best results were second places in 1995 and 2015.
- Five of the last seven Olympic champions won the world title in this event at the World Championships one year later, with the exception of Russia in 1996 and Italy in 2004 - in both cases France were crowned world champions.
- China has reached the podium in this event at four of the last five World Championships (two gold, one silver, one bronze), with the exception of 2013 (7th).
- The last host to win the world title in Men's Team Foil was France in 2001 in Nîmes.
- Women’s Team Epee
- At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, this event was won by Romania. It was the third major title for Romania in Women's Team Epee, following world titles in 2010 and 2011. Romania will compete with four different women in Leipzig, compared with Rio.
- Hungary has won a combined eight World Championships and Olympic gold medals in this event, but has not won at a major title since the 2002 World Championships. Hungary's last top-three finishes at an Olympic Games or World Championships was a second place at the 2005 World Championships.
- At the 2015 World Championships, this event was won by China, which also struck gold in this event at the 2006 World Championships and the 2012 Olympic Games.
- Russia is the last team to win this event in back-to-back World Championships. They achieved this feat in 2014, after also winning in 2013.
- The record number of medals won in this event by an individual, as part of a team, is 12 by Germany’s Imke Duplitzer, who never won a gold medal (six silver, six bronze) in this event.
More information, livestream, photos, results, and details about the 2017 Leipzig World Fencing Championships may be found at www.fechten2017.de, as well as on the FIE web site.
Tag #Leipzig2017