TURIN (ITALPRESS) – Great fencing is back in Turin. Until tomorrow, Sunday, the Piedmontese capital is hosting the FIE Grand Prix “Inalpi Trophy” men’s and women’s foil, an Italian leg of the 2024-25 World Cup elite circuit with 467 athletes from all over the world competing on the platforms of the Inalpi Arena. Also present will be the eight Italians who won silver medals at the last Paris Olympics in both the women’s and men’s team event. “It’s our home competition,” says Italian captain Arianna Errigo, “and we all want to do well. Then the goal for me, too, is always to win. I realize that I cannot keep a very high level all year long however I will give my best and to be back number 1 in the world in the ranking would be a huge satisfaction. I am turning 37 this year so I want to take it one year at a time but I would love to continue and I like my teammates to push me to do that as well.” The “Inalpi Trophy” foil grand prix includes only individual competitions with increased points. Alice Volpi also returns to competitions after the break taken at the end of the Paris Olympics: “It’s my first competition of the season,” she comments, “so I don’t have particular demands in terms of results but I want to regain certain sensations and I want to have fun. Turin always brings me luck so I hope it will be like that this time as well.” One of the favorites is Martina Favaretto, current third in the world ranking: “I won the first race of the season,” she says, “so I broke the ice but in every season there are ups and downs so I still have to work. I expect to express all myself as grit, with less anxiety than in the Olympics but with the same desire to win.” The first two days are reserved for the qualifiers while the finals will take place on Sunday, where Francesca Palumbo also found a place: “We are the first,” she said, “to have high expectations and we will try our best but in sports nothing is written at the beginning. It was hard to start from the qualifiers but it helped me dive into this lion’s den.” Many expectations are also placed on the men’s team. “The last World Cup competition,” stressed Filippo Macchi, Olympic individual and team silver medalist in Paris 2024, “did not go very well so there is a lot of desire to do better in front of this audience. The participating nations are always more so the level has risen.” Also looking for redemption is Tommaso Marini: “Often,” concluded the 2023 rainbow and 2024 European champion, “here in Turin it did not go well for me so this year I hope to shoot well and improve the result. – Photo Federscherma Press Office -(ITALPRESS).
