Favaretto beats Errigo in all-Italian final to win women's foil world title in Hong Kong

All-Italian final

Martina Favaretto beat Arianna Errigo 15-7 in the women's foil final at the Fencing World Championships in Hong Kong on Monday. The 24-year-old from Noale, Venice, controlled the bout from the start, scoring three hits in the opening 40 seconds and building a 5-0 lead. Errigo, 38, could not close the gap as Favaretto maintained a margin of four to five touches throughout. The victory gave Favaretto her first individual world title, adding to team golds from Cairo 2022 and Milan 2023.

I started to ask myself when this gold would come. I arrived after three World Cup wins, but also after a bad European Championship, and I felt the pressure. The last month was difficult, between aches and morale. I worked a lot with sports psychologist Bruno De Michelis and tried to stay close to those who love me.

Favaretto's path to gold

Favaretto entered the tournament as the top seed and world number two. She swept through the early rounds, defeating Britain's Tsang 15-5, Russia's Mamedova 15-4, and Canada's Guo 15-4. In the quarterfinal she beat another Canadian, Nadia Hayes, 15-11. The semifinal against Japan's Yuka Ueno was tighter: Favaretto trailed briefly in the first period but pulled away to win 14-11. The final was her most dominant performance, closing out Errigo 15-7 in a single period.

Errigo's silver and legacy

Arianna Errigo, a mother of twins and Italy's flag bearer at Paris 2024, claimed her 24th world championship medal and 52nd podium across Olympics, Worlds, and Europeans. She had been struggling with health issues in the weeks before the event, losing her voice. Her path to the final included wins over Macau's Ku (15-9), China's Fu (15-10), South Korea's Park (15-6), teammate Anna Cristino (15-7), and Ukraine's Alina Poloziuk (15-7). After the final, Errigo embraced Favaretto on the piste in a moment widely seen as a symbolic passing of the torch.

This silver is wonderful, especially considering the last two weeks. Number 52? At my age, and with two years still to the Olympics, it's important and says that I'm here.

Italy's medal haul and historical context

The gold was Italy's first of the 2026 championships, following four silvers: Filippo Macchi in men's foil, Giulia Rizzi and Davide Di Veroli in epee. Italy finished the individual events atop the medal table with one gold and four silvers. The women's foil squad placed four fencers in the top six, with Martina Batini and Anna Cristino both eliminated in the quarterfinals. The victory marked Italy's 125th world championship gold, exactly a century after Giorgio Chiavacci's first in 1926. The women's foil programme alone has now accumulated 98 world championship podiums.

What's next

The team events begin on Tuesday 28 July with men's foil and women's epee. Italy's men's foil team includes Macchi, Tommaso Marini, Tommaso Martini, and Guillaume Bianchi. The women's epee squad features Gaia Caforio, Rossella Fiamingo, Giulia Rizzi, and Alberta Santuccio. Competition will be broadcast on RaiSport and Eurosport from 11:00 local time. In the men's sabre, Russia's 19-year-old Pavel Graudyn won gold, while Italy's Michele Gallo placed 28th.