Italy have fenced their way to the gold medal in the final of the men's epee team event against the Ukraine. In a battle of weapons and wits the Italians took an early lead but by match 5 the score had equalized to 22-22 with some spectacular hits coming from both teams. Ukraine pulled back a 1 point lead by the end of match 6 but matches 7 and 8 saw an uncanny set of double hits, leading to scores of 35-35 right up to 40-40 by the end of match 8. The Ukraine held on with a spirited defence but Italy pulled just into the lead lunging their way to victory and a gold medal with a final score of 45-42.
To recap, the medallists today are:
Ladies' sabre:
Gold - Ukraine
Silver - Italy
Bronze - Russia
Mens' Epee:
Gold - Italy
Silver - Ukraine
Bronze - Hungary
Photo courtesy of Denise Wilson