Foil, Team, Women

Valentina Vezzali and Giovanna Trillini, gold and bronze medal winners in the individual competition, were joined by Diana Bianchedi, who had enjoyed immense success in team competition throughout the 90s, to form an Italian team that carried swagger of champions. Since the Italians won the Olympic title in Atlanta they had suffered but a single defeat at major championships. The Sydney Olympics gave them the opportunity to avenge this defeat since their opponents in the final were the Polish team who had sprung a surprise by defeating the Italians at the 1999 World Championships. This time Italy could not be denied and spearheaded by the newly crowned individual champion Vezzali, they ran out winners on a 45-36 score line. Bronze medallists Germany narrowly stopped the USA from winning a first ever medal in women’s fencing.