(PRIMASPORT) CARDIFF – A gold, a silver and two bronze medals were won on the second day of the continental event. Andreea Mogos wins the title in foil, Amelio Castro surprises in the sword. Also on the podium Sofia Garnero e Leonardo Rigo. Italian Paralympic fencing continues to shine at the Cardiff 2026 European Championships.
As the reigning world champion, Andreea Mogos also became the European champion in women's foil, Category B, today in Wales. The Turin-based athlete from the Fiamme Oro, who qualified for the quarterfinals by right of ranking, defeated Poland's Rogowska 15-7, thus securing a spot on the podium. But she didn't stop there. With another flawless assault, and an even wider lead, Andreea Mogos defeated Britain's Justine Moore 15-4 in the semifinals, advancing to the final. In the final, facing Ukraine's Nadiia Doloh, the Italian, trained by Andrea Baldini, absolutely dominated, winning 15-2 and claiming her second gold medal in two days, following yesterday's triumph in the Mixed Team foil event. Amelio Castro, a historic first medal as an Italian citizen and fencer for the Italian national team, won silver in the men's épée category B. The Fiamme Oro athlete defeated "neutral" Pranevich 15-9 in the round of 16, moving into a derby match against Michele Massa, who had defeated Israeli Rada 15-9 in the previous round. In the all-Italian quarterfinal, Castro prevailed 15-4, moving into the medal position. In the semifinal, against France's Thomas Tachdjian, Amelio staged a remarkable comeback: he recovered from a five-point deficit, and the decisive final, 15-14, secured his passage to the final round. This joy was shared with the entire Italian delegation that supported him and his coach and mentor, the "prophet"—as he calls him—Daniel Pantoni. There were also strong emotions in the final against Britain's Dimitri Coutya: the host team won 15-13, but Amelio Castro earned a round of applause for a splendid silver medal. Michele Massa, who finished seventh, was followed by Andrea Jacquier and Davide Costi, who finished 19th and 20th. Coach Alessandro Paroli's foil team repeated their feat in the women's foil category A. Tears of joy for Sofia Garnero, who won her first individual medal. The 20-year-old from Frascati Scherma, having advanced through the round of 16 (she was leading 1-0 against Israel's Kelman when her opponent withdrew due to injury), won a thrilling quarterfinal match against Hungary's Hajmasi, celebrating the decisive blow, the 15-14, that secured her a spot on the podium. In the semifinals, Sofia Garnero fought with her head held high against Georgia's Nino Tibilashvili, losing 15-12 but still celebrating a superb third-place finish. Captain Loredana Trigilia finished in ninth place. For épée, led by Coach Michele Tarantini, Leonardo Rigo also shone today with a bronze medal in Category C. The Modena native of Zinella Scherma San Lazzaro di Savena secured a medal thanks to an excellent group, finishing with four wins and only one loss, as the top seed. In the semifinals, a closely fought match down to the last touch saw Ukraine's Shavkun prevail 15-14, but Leonardo Rigo still walked away to applause, taking an excellent third place on the podium. Among the Category A epee athletes, Emanuele Lambertini finished just off the podium. The Emilian of the Fiamme Oro, after defeating Spaniard Fernandez Garrido (15-8) in the round of 16, lost in the quarterfinals to German Schmidt (15-11), finishing in sixth place. Edoardo Giordan and Luca Platania Parisi finished 15th and 16th, respectively, in the same match.
Italy (which will not compete in events not included in the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games tomorrow) will return to the podium at the Cardiff 2026 European Paralympic Championships on Friday, when the women's épée and men's sabre individual competitions are scheduled. (PRIMASPORT)
