The 2026 European Senior Fencing Championships came to a close on Sunday with two dramatic team competitions that provided a fitting finale to an unforgettable week of fencing in Antony. France captured Women's Épée gold in front of the home crowd, while Italy triumphed in Men's Foil to secure another European team title.
France Holds Off Hungary in Women's Épée Final
The Women's Épée final delivered one of the most exciting matches of the championships. France appeared to be in complete control during the early stages, building a significant advantage thanks to the efforts of Marie-Florence Candassamy, Alexandra Louis Marie, Diane von Kerssenbrock and Auriane Mallo-Breton.
However, Hungary refused to give up. Led by an inspired Eszter Muhari, the Hungarians gradually fought their way back into the match. Muhari produced a remarkable comeback against Candassamy and helped reduce the gap, setting up a tense finish. Despite the pressure, the French team held firm when it mattered most and secured the European title in front of their supporters.
Hungary's quartet of Eszter Muhari, Lili Buki, Emma Borsody and Blanka Virag Nagy took silver after a courageous performance.
The bronze medal match was equally dramatic. Ukraine established an early lead against Italy, but the Italians responded with a slow and consistent comeback that eventually forced the match into priority. In the decisive moment, Anna Maksymenko delivered the winning touch against Olympic champion Alberta Santuccio, securing bronze for Ukraine alongside teammates Inna Brovko, Olena Kryvytska and Yana Shemyakina.
Italy Ends Championships with Men's Foil Gold
Italy concluded the championships in style by winning the Men's Foil team title. Guillaume Bianchi, Filippo Macchi, Tommaso Marini and Giulio Lombardi produced a series of strong performances throughout the day before overcoming France in the gold medal match.
For the French team of Anas Anane, Maxime Pauty, Alexandre Sido and newly crowned individual champion Rafael Savin, silver represented another strong result in front of the home crowd, but they were unable to prevent Italy from adding another title to its impressive championship campaign.
Germany completed the podium with bronze thanks to Alexander Kahl, Bastian Kappus, Niklas Diestelkamp and Luis Klein, finishing the tournament with a valuable team medal.
Antony 2026 Comes to an End
With the final team titles awarded, the curtain falls on a memorable edition of the European Senior Fencing Championships. Over six days of competition, Europe’s best fencers delivered historic victories, dramatic comebacks and unforgettable performances across all three weapons.
Full results from Antony 2026 can be found here:
https://www.fencingtimelive.com/tournaments/eventSchedule/4D384CEBC0574631B404BFA15B1F8C8B#today
The European Fencing Confederation congratulates all athletes, coaches, referees, organisers and volunteers who contributed to another outstanding European Championships.
