Montreal, August 7, 2013 (Sportcom) – Three Canadian fencers who qualified for the main draw at the Fencing World Championships saw their tournament come to a hasty end Wednesday, in Budapest, Hungary. Quebec’s Philippe Beaudry and Joseph Polossifakis, as well as British Columbia’s Shaul Gordon all had their wings clipped via elimination in their first bouts.

Joseph Polossifakis, 24th at the International Fencing Federation ranking, was taken down by Hungary’s Andras Szatmari (54th) with a score of 15-11; the Montreal native was relegated to 38th as a result.

Philippe Beaudry saw his day end courtesy of Frenchman Bolade Apithy. Beaudry, ranked 32nd and aged 26 years, had a tough battle against Apithy (37th), and was bettered by a score of 15-5; the Canadian ended the competition in 39th place.

Shaul Gordon (96th) had to face Korea’s Bongil Gu – world-ranked as number three. The Canadian was dealt a 15-8 defeat at Gu’s hands and finished the competition in 61st place.

Eliminated after Monday’s preliminary round, Ontario’s Mark Peros finished 97th.

It was an all-Russia battle for the top two spots, with Veniamin Reshetnikov taking the gold away from fellow countryman Nikolay Kovalev who had to settle for silver. A bronze medal each went to Romania’s Tiberiu Dolniceanu and Hungary’s Aron Szilagyi.

Foilists Also Foiled

In women’s competitions, Canadian foilists Alanna Goldie, Kelleigh Ryan and Eleanor Harvey were also prevented from moving past the round of 64.

Goldie, ranked 34th internationally, was beaten with a heart-wrenching score of 15-14 by Poland’s Martyna Synoradzka (20th). Alberta’s Goldie nonetheless earned Canada’s top ranking with her 36th place.

Ontario’s Kelleigh Ryan – 56th – was ousted by Germany’s Sandra Bingenheimer (62th); Ryan finished the competition in 37th place.

Eleanor Harvey – also from Ontario – ended her competition in 60th place after having lost 15-5 to American Lee Kiefer, IFF’s sixth-ranked fencer.

Italy’s Arianne Errigo earned gold in a bout against Germany’s Carolin Golubytskyi who took home silver. Russia’s Inna Deriglazova and Italy’s Elisa Di Francisca both took home a bronze.

The Fencing World Championships continue Thursday in Budapest, with the épéeists facing elimination rounds. Joanna Guy will take up her weapon in women’s action, while Marc-Antoine Blais-Bélanger, Tigran Bajgoric and Vincent Pelletier will do likewise for the men.

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Written by: Émilie Bouchard Labonté (emilie.bouchard-labonte@sportcom.qc.ca) Translation: A.L. Cox