Fencing Canada – Several of Canada’s Senior National Team fencers had solid World Cup performances this past weekend in some of the last competitions before the Tokyo Olympic qualifying period starts.

Canada’s Women’s Senior Sabre athletes were in Athens, Greece for a World Cup.  Gabriella Page (Blainville, QC) and Marissa Ponich (Edmonton, AB) advanced directly to the main draw of 64, both undefeated in poules at 6 wins and 0 losses.  Ponich lost to Misaki Emura from Japan 15-6 to finish in 35^th place.  Page won her 64 bout by a score of 15-10 to Svetlana Verteletskaya from Russia 15-10 and lost in the round of 32 to eventual bronze medalist Liza Pusztar from Hungary, a very close 15-13 to finish tied for 24^th spot.

The Canadian Women’s Sabre team of Ponich, Page, Madison Thurgood, and Pamela Brind’Amour then competed in the Women’s Sabre Team event, finishing 17^th after losing a close match to Venezuela 45-42.

Canada’s Malinka Hoppe Montanaro (Montreal, QC) had a breakthrough performance at the Women’s Epee Grand Prix event in Budapest. Montanaro finished 24^th in a competition that had over 260 fencers.  Montanaro was undefeated in poules with 6 wins and 0 losses, to advance directly to the main draw of 64 where she defeated Haruna Paba from Japan 15-12.  Montanaro lost her next bout to Courtney Hurley from the USA by a score of 15-10 to finish in 24^th, her best placing to date in a Grand Prix event.

Canada’s Men’s Sabre team (Fares Arfa, Joseph Polossifakis, Marc Gelinas and Francois Cauchon) was in Padua, Italy for a World Cup and finished in 16^th spot. The team defeated Poland in the 32’s by a score of 45-44 but then lost to Iran in the 16’s 45-27.  The team finished in 16^th place overall following the elimination bouts.  Fares Arfa (Laval, QC) was Canada’s top placer in the Men’s Sabre Individual competition, finishing 81^st overall.  Joseph Polossifakis (Montreal, QC) was 86^th.