Swordsman Boladé Apithy, bronze medalist at the European Championships last month, was eliminated in the round of 16 stage of the World Fencing Championships on Monday in Cairo. After emerging victorious from the Franco-French duel against Eliott Bibi in the first round (15-6), Apithy, sixth in the world, dismissed the Italian Tamas Decsi (15-11) in the next round. But the 36-year-old Frenchman then came up against the Iranian Ali Pakdaman, world No.12, 15 touches to 7.
At the start of the day, Sébastien Patrice, 22, was knocked out in the first round by the German Matyas Szabo. And on the first day of the finals, the hopes of a blue medal rest on the sole shoulders of Maxime Pianfetti, qualified for the semi-finals. The French had created the surprise by beating the world No.1, the Korean Junghwan Kim (15-13) in the second round.
Among the women, none of the four French swordsmen involved in the final table managed to climb into the quarter. Marie-Florence Candassamy, Auriane Mallo and Joséphine Jacques-André-Coquin stopped in the round of 16, while Lauren Rembi had lost a lap earlier.