Fencing: historic promotion to Serie A1 for the female fencers of Cus Catania

Sicily's fencing is not only made up of great champions like the two Olympic épée fencers Alberta Santuccio and Rossella Fiamingo and the other Etnean Gianpaolo Buzzacchino, key figures for Italy in the World Cup, but behind them, young talents are emerging and the many fencing clubs on the island are doing well.

In Piacenza, the four days of competitions reserved for the team championships have concluded, and the results for the Sicilian colors have been extraordinary with five promotions and the leap into the top division for the Cus Catania women's épée team, which in June will be joined by Methodos Battiati. With the double world champion Rossella Fiamingo, who was raised and launched into orbit by the club of Gianni and Carlo Sperlinga, in recent years has achieved a prestigious permanence in the top division, conceding only to the overwhelming power of the military teams.

In Piacenza, Cus Catania finished in 2nd place with the blue fencers Maria Roberta Casale, Caterina Auteri, Elena Pennisi, and Eleonora Santonocito, achieving a historic promotion to Serie A1 to the joy of coach Matteo Scamarda and all the technical staff of the club, as well as president Massimo Oliveri, who also celebrated the promotion to Serie B1 of the men's foil team with Cristian Longo, Augusto Saltalamacchia, Andrea Sanfilippo, and Giuseppe Santagati.

The Cus Catania team promoted to the top division of épée with coach Matteo Scamarda

“The joy for the promotions achieved by our female fencers and our male foil fencers, along with the maintenance of the Serie A2 for the male fencers is overwhelming - the words of president Massimo Oliveri - and considering that many of them are student-athletes enrolled at the University of Catania, the accomplishments they have achieved take on even greater significance. As president of the Centro Universitario Sportivo of Catania, a former fencer, and a former university professor of Engineering, I know well how challenging it is to excellently combine both careers. The commitment and daily efforts supported by our coaches are a source of great pride not only for the Cus, the club they represent in Italy, and many of them also abroad, but also for the University and the city of Catania.”

The Cus Catania men's foil team promoted to Serie B1

The Cus Catania will thus have a team in A1 women bringing the sword back to the top division after many that have seen the men's team as the protagonist; the men's foil team in Serie B1 and the sword team confirmed the permanence in Serie A2 of the Cus team, which finished in eighth place in Piacenza with Tancredi Di Stefano, Francesco Lodato, Michele Marinetti, and Giovanni Sinatra.

The Cus Catania men's sword team that secured its place in Serie A2

In Piacenza, Sicily also celebrated for another three prestigious promotions that came from the Serie B2 sword and Serie B1 men's sabre championships. In the sword, the first promotion bears the signature of the Catania Fencing Club with the trio trained by master Michele Partanni, consisting of Leonardo Mattia, Stefano Paradiso, and Enrico Spadaro, who finished in second place achieving promotion to Serie B1.

The Catania Fencing Club promoted to Serie B1: Stefano Paradiso, Enrico Spadaro, Master Michele Partanni, and Mattia Leonardo

In fifth place was the Circolo Scherma Acireale with on the piste Mattia Fresta, Walter Lombardo, Mirko Mangiagli, and Simone Sortino. Second place and promotion to Serie B1 in women's foil for the quartet of the Circolo della Scherma Jonica led by Master Mimmo Patti with on the piste Aurora Cristina, Sofia Caravaglios, Alessandra Pennisi, and Irene Pennisi.

The Circolo Scherma Jonica promoted to B1: Alessandra Pennisi, Master Mimmo Patti, Aurora Cristina, Irene Pennisi, and Sofia Caravaglios

Promotion to Serie A in men's sabre for the Trapani quartet of Campobello Scherma with Alessandro Mangiapane, Salvatore Pugliese, Vincenzo Tranchida, and Flavio Ziino. In sixth place was Discobolo Sciacca with Riccardo Cipolla, Vito Napoli, Tommaso Rossi, and Gianluca Simone Vullo.

The quartet of Campobello Scherma promoted to Serie A2 in men's sabre

In the Serie A2 men's foil championship, Scherma Modica led by Master Eugenio Migliore finished in sixth place and confirms its position in the second series thanks to the excellent performances on the piste by Leonardo Aprile, Massimo Arezzo, Salvatore Spadaro, and Francesco Spampinato. And Scherma Modica narrowly missed promotion to Serie A2 in women's foil with the trio composed of Eleonora Di Guardo, Ottavia Iacono, and Cecilia Raunisi who finished brilliantly in fifth place.

The A2 Series Fencing Modica: Leonardo Aprile, Alessio Spadaro, Master Eugenio Migliore, Massimo Arezzo, and Francesco Spampinato

In the men's foil B1 Series, ninth place for the Club Scherma Siracusa with Francesco Barcio, Pierpaolo Italia, Lorenzo Pagliaro, and Gaspare Pisasale.

A mixed outcome for Sicily in the A2 Series sabre championship, where in Piacenza, Discobolo Sciacca finished brilliantly in sixth place with Vittoria Becchina, Sofia Figlioli, Siria Mantegna, and Mariandrè Simone Vullo, while the Circolo Schermistico Mazarese relegates to B1 Series in 12th place with Gioele Coronetta, Lorenzo Marchetti, and Natale Tranchida.

In the women's foil B2 Series, sixth place for the Associazione Messina Scherma with Maria Bongiovanni, Valentina Campanile, and Francesca Prinzi, and in ninth place the Club Scherma Siracusa with Allegra Aloschi, Greta Bordieri, Sofia Ambra Oliva, and Gioia Ossino.