phelps

and with this last gold medal match, now the champs are over... see you next year in Budapest (yes, only 6 years interval between 2 world champs in the same town)... Fencing FIE World Championships 2018 Final Medal Table ITA, 4 / 2 / 1 KOR, 2 / 2 / 3 USA, 2 / 2 / 2 FRA, 2 / 1 / 1 RUS, 1 / 2 / 4 SUI, 1 / 0 / 1 GBR, 0 / 1 / 0 ROU, 0 / 1 / 0 VEN, 0 / 1 / 0 UKR, 0 / 0 / 2 HUN, 0 / 0 / 1 ESP, 0 / 0 / 1 CHN, 0 / 0 / 1 TUN, 0 / 0 / 1 Italy win the medal table once again, 14 different Nations get at least a medal (6 at least 1 Gold) and 4 different Continents have made the podium at least once (and the top 3 Nations come from 3 different Continents)... so, don't tell me that Fencing isn't a global sport...

the problem was not about his replacement...but Avola's injury could have given Italy a lot of troubles in case of another injury and/or someone not throwing good enough, we were without a reserve guy in this final (but luckily we didn't need one)...

yessss!!!! the perfect season of the US boys is broken! and it was Italy to break it, who else? 3rd world title in a row for our guys (if only they didn't throw the Rio Olympics away...)...

bad news for Italy...Giorgio Avola injured himself in the warm-up before the men's team foil final, so he won't be available in the last act of the world champs against the USA...

France! Russia... reigning Individual Olympic Champion, Individual World Champion, Individual European Champion in the same team...and they lost it!

l'ho sempre sostenuto...Fischetto, i compagni di merende Russi, la banda Damilano e i loro viscidi amichetti l'hanno fatta sporca...era evidente sin dal principio... ora comunque sono pronto a scommettere che sportivamente non verrà mai riabilitato in ogni caso (a nessun livello, anche perchè comunque un "peccato capitale" l'ha commesso in passato), mentre a livello di giustizia penale e civile sarà lo stesso difficile avere soddisfazione (penalmente direi che la prescrizione incomba già)... io al posto suo, ora che sicuramente verrà scientificamente smentita ogni porcheria di fidal e iaaf, la "soddisfazione" la cercherei con metodi che qui è meglio non esplicitare...

hopefully, the satellite feed would also help us... how much I love sat tv piracy...

p.s. no matter what's the outcome of today's gold medal matches, Italy have already won the final medal table...

good jb by our foil guys, easily through to the gold medal match (which will be a re-match of yesterday's women's team foil, but this time the USA start as heavy favourite, since they've won all 5 world cup events in this season)... meanwhile, once again our sabre girls have missed a big chance...after surviving a big scare against HUN in the quarterfinals, they lost to the mighty Russians only at the last hit...and then they wasted the day by losing badly to the Korean trolls (they are everywhere...I just can't stand them anymore...)...

Men's Team Foil Final Results: Gold: Italy / United States Silver: Italy / United States Bronze: Russia Semifinals: USA b. Russia 45-29 Italy b. South Korea 45-30 Bronze Medal Match: Russia b. South Korea 45-35 Gold Medal Match: USA vs Italy Here is the Full Final Ranking (and Results) from Today's competition: https://www.fencingtimelive.com/events/results/B1CBD0A63D154CA2A3E8C444E8C17D66

Women's Team Sabre Final Results: Gold: France Silver: Russia Bronze: South Korea Semifinals: Russia b. Italy 45-44 France b. South Korea 45-42 Bronze Medal Match: South Korea b. Italy 45-40 Gold Medal Match: France b. Russia 45-35 Here is the Full Final Ranking (and Results) from Today's competition: https://www.fencingtimelive.com/events/results/B41EDCB8109D4CCFA284976C39D258F1

men's team Foil quarterfinals United States b. China 45-19 Russia b. France 45-36 South Korea b. Japan 45-35 Italy b. Poland 45-23 women's team Sabre quarterfinals Italy b. Hungary 45-44 Russia b. United States 45-42 South Korea b. Ukraine 45-37 France b. China 45-42

that's interesting...and a big blow for him... by the way, here's a recap of day #2 at the US Nationals 2018... women's 200m Free Katie Ledecky, 1.54.60 Allison Schmitt, 1.55.82 Gabby Deloof, 1.56.55 Leah Smith, 1.56.93 men's 200m Free Andrew Seliskar, 1.45.70 Blake Pieroni, 1.45.93 Conor Dwyer, 1.46.08 Townley Haas, 1.46.15 women's 200m Breaststroke Micah Sumrall, 2.22.06 (formerly known as Micah Lawrence before marriage) Bethany Galat, 2.23.32 5th, Lilly King, 2.25.31 men's 200m breaststroke Josh Prenot, 2.07.28 Andrew Wilson, 2.08.71 women's 200m Backstroke Kathleen Baker & Regan Smith, tied with 2.06.43 (Smith is only 16 years old, they say it's a new JWR, but I'm not sure about it...Franklin could have been faster while technically still a junior ) men's 200m Backstroke Ryan Murphy, 1.54.15 Jacob Pebley, 1.55.68 women's 50m Fly Kelsi Dahlia, 25.48 (formerly known as Worrel before marriage, the time equals her own American record from last year's Worlds) Kendyl Stewart, 25.83 men's 50m fly Michael Andrew, 22.93 Caeleb Dressel, 22.97

the first one... p.s. I agree, but only in part (it could be fun also without ice, even if on the ice it's definitely a lot better)... the last one...also Hungary, Switzerland and Austria have no sea... so, you can always hope even for a medal... sooner or later...later more than sooner, I fear...

hopp Schwiiiiiiiitzzzzzz!!!!!

that's a really big upset... but I can't write that I'm sad because of that...

in the worst season for our women's foil in the last 30 years, we still managed to come home with the European Gold and World Silver in the team event (and the World title in the individual event)...not bad... but I'm still upset and angry for this gold medal match against the USA... first, we must say that Camilla Mancini is not ready yet for this kind of competition...she is too inconsistent and the risk to compromise the team's final result is too high (as we've just seen)... and Errigo is still a case for a good psychiatrist (and a really good one)... but at the same time we just can't close our eyes on the shameful mistake (possibly in bad faith, since they had the chance to watch the replay) that changed completely the outcome of the match...it should have been 37-35 for the USA (with Prescod mentally struggling big time) and instead the ref and the video judge ignored one of the clearest parèe et resposte in the history of the sport and still gifted the US girl the point that definitely turned off Errigo's mind and so killed the match... that's absolutely not acceptable...and that's why I'm angry, despite a result that should make everybody happy (considering all the circumstances)...

men's team epee qualification to Tokyo will be a bloody fight, especially if Korea can keep up and stay in the top 4 places of the World Ranking...

yes, but I don't know if they will use next year's Nationals or another system (with more flexibility than the previous years)... however, I guess they will go for the 1-shot event next summer just before the World Champs, as they normally do with the Olympic Trials...

Day #1 of the US Nationals in Irvine (CA)... the tournament works as trials for the next Pan-Pacific Games (later in August) and partially (only the winner of each individual event is granted a spot) also for next year's World Championships in South Korea... Women's 800m Free Katie Ledecky, 8.11.98 Leah Smith, 8.22.79 Men's 1500m Free Jordan Wilimovsky, 14.48.89 Women's 200m Fly Hali Flickinger, 2.06.14 (2.05.87 in the heats, US Champs record) Katie Drabot, 2.07.18 Men's 200m Fly Justin Wright, 1.54.63 ... 3rd, Gianluca Urlando (clear Italian heritage, I'd say), 1.55.11 (2nd fastest ever at that age behind a certain Michael Phelps*, since he's only 15 -by the way, earlier this year, he already swam 49.70 in the 100 yards fly and 46.77 in the 100 yards free)... *Phelps at the same age had a 1.54.58 PB Women's 100m Free Simone Manuel, 52.54 (US Champs record) Mallory Comerford, 53.09 Margo Geer, 53.44 Men's 100m Free Blake Pieroni, 48.08 Nathan Adrian, 48.25 Townley Haas, 48.30 6th, Caeleb Dressel, 48.50

more news from the best Hockey league in the world... Jason Zucker agrees on terms to a 5-year deal with Minnesota (5.5 million US $/year on average) and avoid arbitration... https://www.nhl.com/news/jason-zucker-agrees-to-terms-on-five-year-contract-with-wild/c-299303000?tid=281072352 44 NHL players file for salary arbitration... https://www.nhl.com/news/44-nhl-players-file-for-salary-arbitration/c-299423134?tid=281072352 and finally, Jarome Iginla announces his retirement... https://www.nhl.com/news/jarome-iginla-to-announce-retirement/c-299583340 he's been one of the great goal scorers in the game and one of the icons of the Calgary Flames through the last 20 years (with a few stints in other teams)...chapeau! to his career and good luck for the next future...

I don't know if I have to lough or cry for this idiot...

it doesn't look promising for our sabre girls...either RUS (in the only weapon where they are in great shape) nor the USA (our traditional bete noir) leave us with many hopes to make the final for the second year in a row...

this time no distractions by our Dream Team, reaching the final without any trouble... Gold Medal match that will see the USA facing Italy, after the Russians continued their very disappointing streak of failures in these World Champs by losing in the quarterfinals against the unbelievable Koreans... in the meantime, also the last 2 events of the Champs have come to the quarterfinals stage (which will be contested tomorrow, in the last day of the tournament)... men's team Foil quarterfinals United States vs China France vs Russia South Korea vs Japan Italy vs Poland women's team Sabre quarterfinals Italy vs Hungary United States vs Russia South Korea vs Ukraine France vs China

Women's Team Foil Final Results: Gold: United States Silver: Italy Bronze: France Semifinals: Italy b. France 45-29 USA b. South Korea 45-22 Bronze Medal Match: France b. South Korea 35-26 Gold Medal Match: USA b. Italy 45-35 Here is the Full Final Ranking (and Results) from Today's competition: http://fie.org/competitions/2018/249/results/rank