Fencing: six French medals open the World Cup season

The opening stage of the 2026-2027 fencing World Cup, held on 16-18 October at three venues, brought France six medals: two gold, one silver and three bronze. In Oran, Algeria, Toscane Tori won the individual sabre event, her first World Cup title, and the men's sabre team beat Japan in the final. In Takamatsu, Japan, Maxime Pauty finished second in foil.

Oran: Tori first, then the sabre team on the last touch

Toscane Tori built her day touch by touch. She beat Spain's Araceli Navarro 15-9 in the last 16, Hungary's Luca Szűcs 15-8 in the quarter-finals and American Magda Skarbonkiewicz 15-6 in the semi-final. In the final she controlled Bulgaria's Yoana Ilieva 15-12. The next day, with Alejandra Manga, Cyrielle Rioux and Malina Vongsavady, she added team bronze: wins over Kazakhstan (45-32) and Ukraine (45-42), a semi-final loss to China (45-40), then a walkover when Azerbaijan withdrew from the third-place match.

In the men's event, Sébastien Patrice lost his quarter-final by a single touch to Georgia's Sandro Bazadze (14-15) and Jean-Philippe Patrice went out in the last 16. In the team event, the two brothers, Maxime Pianfetti and Rémi Garrigue beat Turkey 45-34, Egypt 45-36 and Hungary 45-28 before meeting Japan in the final. Trailing 44-41 in the last leg, France watched Sébastien Patrice string together the touches for a 45-44 win. The sabre team, bronze medallists at the Paris 2024 Olympics, have their first team win of the season.

Takamatsu and Casablanca: silver for Pauty, two team bronzes

In men's foil, Maxime Pauty beat Italy's Alessio Foconi 15-14, Hong Kong's Shing Him Ho 15-13 and Brazil's Guilherme Toldo 15-6 before losing the final 15-4 to world number one Alexander Choupenitch of the Czech Republic. It is the Frenchman's eighth individual international podium. Jules Andriamampianina lost in the last 16 to the same Choupenitch (15-8) and Enzo Lefort went out in his first bout of the main draw against American Marcello Olivares (15-9).

The women's foil team of Constance Catarzi, Morgane Patru, Pauline Ranvier and Ysaora Thibus took bronze in Takamatsu: beaten 45-24 by Italy in the semi-final, they defeated China 43-37 for third place. In the individual event, Thibus had lost in the last 16 to Italy's Alice Volpi (15-5). In Casablanca, Morocco, the French men's épée team (Alexandre Bardenet, Aymerick Gally, Paul Fortin and Kendrick Jean-Joseph) lost their semi-final to Kazakhstan 45-39 and then beat Ukraine 45-38 for bronze.

The French Fencing Federation sums up the weekend in one line: the French team turned up for the start of the season. Six medals across three weapons, including a first individual title for a sabre fencer who had never won one, give the squad a solid base before the next stages of the circuit on the road to the 2027 World Championships.