Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Olympic Fencing

Italy's Valentina Vezzali, not present in this final.

Women's Foil

Gargherita Granbassi (ITA) vs Giovanna Trillini (ITA)

The Italian women are immensely successful, but the fencing isn't always bella.

The Italian women's movement is pared down, not efficient so much as it is excised. The footwork falls into some narrowly defined system or it's simply not used. In the same way, climbers going up Mount Everest have their toes amputated, so they can't get frostbite. The bladework is stiff and formal (at the start), as if their trainers whip them if they show any improvisation. Early in the bout, Granbassi makes a high remise around the head -- but stops herself, as if remembering there is a punishment for flair.

When Granbassi and Trillini get on guard, the initial styling makes the most sense if you imagine their blades were 45 inches long, and heavy. The hand is cocked up, tip pointed at the ceiling as if to support the weight of an immense weapon, and on-blade actions are made with great caution. Attacks conclude far short of target -- at times, the fencers launch three or four alternating lunges that barely reach their opponent's bell guard, as if they were expecting 10 more inches of reach from their blades.

Granbassi watches her team warm up at the Olympics. Note the developed fencing tan.

But these are just first impressions. Inevitably, at some point during the bout, the fencing turns fluid and very logical. However it's not the fencing that changes -- the viewer's mind suddenly wraps itself around all the strengths being displayed. The awesome timing, the syncopated footwork which is designed to generally succeed. The Italian attack is a shortened lunge, actually quite vicious looking (that's a good thing). The hand is slightly delayed, and is usually aimed to hit near the high inside line. They rely on this short lunge against all fencers, and it works very well when they find the tempo.

There is also some evidence of the Vezzali footwork patterning in these two women. The earliest available video of this repeating footwork technique (step forward, alternate feet, step back, alternate feet, and repeat -- but everybody has their own pattern) has Valentina Vezzali using it to great effect on Sylwie Gruchala in the 2003 World Championships. Italian bulletin board member Cavatione reports that the footwork is indeed highly trained, a version of the Italian approach scherma da terreno, or ground fencing: "continuous movements back and forth with sudden attacks on the step or in a "passata."

The key concept to the Italian women's approach is restraint, and their restraint reflects an unholy self-control and an utter belief in competitive psychology. There is no risk-taking: It's a duel. You run the numbers and you win. This has been perfected by their team-mate Vezzali, Athens gold winner and winner of more than 50 World Cup medals, but it's not as strong in Granbassi and Trillini.

Granbassi fights pugnaciously but never achieves a double-digit score, and she accepts her loss seemingly without surprise. Born in 1979, she is luckier than some of her older peers. She will be eclipsed by Vezzali and Trillini for only the beginning of her career, since one or both of her brilliant older teammates are expected to retire soon. Meanwhile she's placing well, and polishing her game against the other notables.

Sylwie Gruchala (POL) vs Aida Mohammed (HUN)

The next bout pits the ever-present Gruchala against the ever-present Mohammed. The Google doesn't exist which can answer how many times these two have faced off in the semi-finals. Mohammed is the underdog here. Always close, never the breakout, and continually edged out by Gruchala whenever it seems to count the most.

Mohammed has impeccable footwork, and can generate great speed and power. Playing a very smart game, she uses her distance at the beginning of the bout to rob Gruchala of her long attacks. She keeps far in front of the tip and waits with iron reserve until Gruchala reveals her destination target. She then snaps up the parry riposte before Gruchala can bring her hand around. She gains an early lead by being defensive, which causes Gruchala to hesitate and second-guess herself. When Gruchala hesitates long enough, Mohammed takes the attack.

Gruchala has better luck defending against Mohammed. She reflexively counter-attacks any forward preparation (it doesn't matter who she's fencing), and she is fluid and long enough to land a touch around any obstruction. Her odd hand makes for unpredictable targeting, as she can angulate anywhere. Having drawn Mohammed out of her defensive mood, she again launches her long attack. She knows she must use them now, because they may not work against Italy.

Gruchala is immediately recognizable on strip, based on her preparations, her advance-advance-pittypat footwork, and her hand. In other tournament videos, the audience can be heard commenting on the epic weirdness of Gruchala's hand.

Gruchala keeps her wrist in a bent-back, "broken" position, like she's pushing open a door. It would be a high three position, except that she keeps it in the middle of her body below the sternum. Coaches may groan at the hand, and sports-injury therapists may mentally tally bills, but it works for her, because it's a specific tool for attacking. Fencing her, you might want to feint to her six -- she would have to move her whole arm to parry -- but as you start your feint she's hit you and is walking back to the guard line.

Fencers certainly don't want to be on the receiving end of Gruchala's long attack. The Italians, through long exposure, have made an art form of not letting it begin. On the attack, Gruchala steps forward, bell at her lips like she's saluting, wrist abominably broken. When the opponent gives ground, she follows them, shaking the blade invitingly. When the opponent finally gives her something to work with, she makes a careful placement to the high target, or the flank when she's really reaching, and she's not above flicking to the back. Her lunge is tremendously long, but she rarely needs all of it after chasing down an opponent. Most opponents have learned that the best percentage is to attack on the preparation. Opponents who flee can get hit from twelve feet away.

But with that hand, Gruchala only gets points because she really, really wants them. It's not useful for improvisation in the middle of an action, and there certainly cannot be an emergency that requires a quick hand fix. She cannot make an error, and coast through on technique. She won't score unless she's killing herself to turn a light on with an attack or counter-attack. This is not the weakness it would seem to be, because Gruchala's willpower is unswerving and her focus is only ever shaken by fatigue in the end-bout. Gruchala is a frequent winner, but she always fences like she's down 10-0 in her first DE.

Sylwie Gruchala ponders her extreme lunge.

The third period begins at 9-9, and both fencers having trouble finding target. Gruchala's ripostes go off target (due to the wrist), and her attacks land only occasionally. But as she edges towards the win, it's clear she has more than luck going for her. Gruchala is a hard worker who spends a lot of time engineering each hit. And every so often, she surprises everybody with some unimaginable ornament -- a tiny disengage, a beautiful transfer to flank, a windmill riposte.

Giovanna Trillini (ITA) vs. Sylwie Gruchala (POL)

Gruchala and Trillini face off in the finals. The fencers are cautious and exploratory. Vezzali often knocks one or the other out, and they may not be as familiar with each other as they could be.

Gruchala graciously allows Trillini to walk onto her point a few times before the bout really heats up. The pretty touches in the early game come from Poland, including a tremendous tempo attack that leaves Trillini swishing the air. Both fencers move quickly and easily, but their tips are too high, and their legs are too powerful. They have trouble bringing the tip to bear on target in time. Their distance is so important that the handwork suffers.

However, it's handwork that plays the decisive role in the bout. Where Mohammed pitted her distance against Gruchala's distance, Trillini pits her hand against Gruchala's hand. Gruchala's handwork is an open invitation. It might well be her only exploitable weakness. Trillini shelves her minimalist approach, and engages in longer actions with back and forth, quickly bringing Gruchala to the edge of her abilities. Gruchala likes to take risks even when she's leading. She fences with a desperate pliability in her whole frame, sacrificing form, balance, and technique to get the touch, but this doesn't help her bladework. Trillini narrows to 4-5 with a nice riposte after Gruchala spends one whole phrase balanced on her front leg.

If Trillini stays calm enough, she knows Gruchala will eventually reveal enough flaws and lose the bout. But Trillini gets easily embroiled in the actions, and at 7-7 when Gruchala starts to pull out her long attacks, Trillini bites at every feint. Both fencers work their strong game, trading between strong Gruchala attacks and Trillini bladework. Bladework trumps footwork in Right of Way, which Gruchala doesn't like. After one action, she holds up two fingers -- by her count, it's twice the director has robbed her.

Trillini methodically recovers from her slow start, and soon Gruchala is the underdog for real. As Trillini polishes her successful strategy, she generates longer and longer phrases until the Polish fencer's hand can't keep up. By the time the critical action of a phrase rolls around, Trillini's light is on and Gruchala's tip is out in space. At 14-11 Trillini, the Italian knows she just has to wait... and there it is: Gruchala attacks, Trillini parry ripostes, and then remises through Gruchala's weak-wristed counter-parry. When everything else is equal, the hand is what wins.