MS Grand Prix Plodviv, February 4-5, 2012

[gladius]

This coming weekend the 2012 Men's Saber senior season starts with the Asparoukh' Sword Grand Prix in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. This being a Grand Prix event there is only the individual competition and not the all important for Olympic qualification team event.

Velichka Hristeva, President of the Bulgarian Fencing Federation announced at a press conference that a record number of 143 sabreurs from 29 countries will compete at the GP. In related news, Marco Siesto, FIE Arbitrage Commission member, will hold a seminar for referees in Sofia on Thursday and in Plovdiv on Friday. Ana Pascu, FIE Vice President, will be present at the Grand Prix. Aldo Montano who is recuperating from an operation on the peroneal tendon after Catania and has suffered an injury to his hand during training may not compete in Plodviv this weekend.


The FFE web site carries a pre-competition interview with Jean-Philippe Daurelle, France National Men's Saber Coach. It may be interesting to compare it with the before and after CIP interviews with Stéphane Marcelin, MF national coach (see before and after). While French MF team has a good chance to qualify for London, French MS is not there yet...



Jean-Philippe Daurelle: "We shall give our best!"



Jean-Philippe Daurelle, France MS national coach



Few days before the GP in Plovdiv we visit with Jean-Philippe Daurelle, France MS National Coach.


Q: What is your state of mind three days before the first competition of an especially important season?
J-P D: "Our state of mind is that of people who gave their best at every moment in their preparation and are determined to give it all."

Q: How do you rate the physical and mental condition of your sabreurs?
J-P D: "I am optimistic about our progress and impatient to see them on the strip."

Q: What message/mission do you convey to them during training?
J-P D: "I try to convey a message of efficiency, accuracy, reflection, so that they can go all out on the strip during the competition."

Q: Did you adopt a specific training technique to beat the best sabreurs and if so what is it?
J-P D: "Our bet was to improve, to capitalize on our strong points with a repertoire of touches capable to create problems to anyone, rather than dissecting the game of those who currently are the best."

Q: You start the season with the Plovdiv Grand Prix which does not include a team competition. What is your main objective in Bulgaria?
J-P D: "Winning bouts to increase the level of confidence of the group."

Q: Are you going to select the team which will compete in Padua February 18 based only on the individual results in Plovdiv?
J-P D: "The team will be announced after Plovdiv taking into account the results in Plovdiv but also what the selection committee has observed during the past several weeks of training and in the national competitions to come up with the strongest team possible."

Q: During this season which looks to be very challenging, did you plan training session in other countries similar to what you did last year in Canada?
J-P D: "The Germans came over here last week and we will go over there for a week in February."

Q: What do you say to those who already believe that you will not succeed in qualifying the team for the London Olympics?
J-P D: "A fencer who is down and who wants to compete at a high level must give it all until the last moment. Sometimes he must face one who is stronger than him and sometimes thanks to his persistence and by not giving up, what looked to be impossible becomes possible. We shall give our best!"

Interview by Denis Goran

French MS selected for Plovdiv

▪ Julien Pillet
▪ Boladé Apithy
▪ Nicolas Lopez
▪ Julien Médard
▪ Nicolas Rousset
▪ Vincent Anstett
▪ François Régent
▪ Benoît Lamboley

[gladius]

From the FIS web site http://www.federscherma.it/news.asp?i=95598&s=7

As mentioned in the OP, Montano, 2011 world champion, will not compete in the GP in Plodviv this weekend. Therefore Italy will field only 7 athletes at this GP.

Montano should be fencing in the next event, the Senior A world cup in Padua, February 17-19. Giovanni Sirovich, Italian saber CT, said, "Aldo should have been at this event [in Poldviv] but his injury to the left hand of last week has delayed his reentry on the strip." Montano is still recovering from surgery at the peroneal tendon last October.

Plodviv, being a GP will not affect the qualification process for London. "This doesn't mean that this competition is less important," said Sirovich. "It is a very important competition not only for the World Cup rating but also to start the 2012 season, the Olympic seaso, in the best possible way."

As a side note, the 7 Italian sabreurs will be accompanied by the CT Sirovich, two maestri, one physician, and one physiotherapist.

The fact that Montano, currently ranked #2, will not be in Plodviv opens the door for #17 in FIE ranking to move to the second day skipping the qualification rounds and being thus guaranteed a top 64 finish (minimum 3 points). From the ranking this would appear to benefit Nicholas Lopez (FRA), but if another top 16 will not show up, this would open the door for Daryl Homer, ranked #18, the top USA FIE ranked sabreur.

[bigdawg2121]

So he has a hand injury AND surgery he's recovering from currently?

[Inquartata]

Surgery to repair the hand injury, I think.

What confuses me is that the injury was, according to the above, to his left, or non-weapon hand. I wouldn't think it'd be all that debilitating.

[Allex]

So he has a hand injury AND surgery he's recovering from currently?

Swordsport Productions
Another injury for Aldo Montano.
While the reigning Individual World Champion is recovering from the minor surgery, he has suffered an injury to his fencing hand, which will probably take him for 2 weeks away from fencing, thus jeopardizing his participation in the Plovdiv World Cup. Everyone at SSP wishes him speedy and successful recovery.

Agenzia di Stampa Italpress - SCHERMA: SCIABOLA. ANCORA UN INFORTUNIO PER ALDO MONTANO
www.italpress.com
ROMA (ITALPRESS) – Ancora un infortunio per Aldo Montano. Il campione del mondo di sciabola maschile, ancora alle prese con la fase di riabilitazione dopo l’intervento al tendine peroneo della caviglia sinistra, nel corso di un allenamento ha subito una infrazione al quinto metacarpo della mano dest...

Like · · Share · 27 January at 17:29

http://www.facebook.com/SwordSportPR

[bigdawg2121]

Except that gladius mentioned surgery on the peroneal tendon which I'm pretty sure is in the foot and not the hand...

[Allex]

Except that gladius mentioned surgery on the peroneal tendon which I'm pretty sure is in the foot and not the hand...

Correct - surgery on the foot, while recovering injury on the foot.

[gladius]

To repeat what I posted initially from the FIS web site (not from articles in the Italian press which are often inaccurate) Aldo Montano was operated on the peroneal tendon in his left foot in October. He has followed up since then with the rehabilitation to get ready for the competitions of the 2012 season.

Last week in training he injured his left hand somehow but I don't have the medical report as to how the injury occurred and what type of injury he suffered. Aldo is right-handed, as can be seen from the photo.




Aldo Montano


The GP in Plovdiv is not an essential competition for the London qualification in MS. It is not worth for Montano to risk further injury at this point. The Senior A WC in Padua on February 17-19, with the all important team event, is where Aldo expects to be back on the strip.

[bigdawg2121]

So my initial reaction was correct and he's recovering from both surgery and a hand injury....got it.

[lewis]

results? Live feed? ????? news?

[Allex]

results? Live feed? ????? news?

here's 15 out of 32 matchups I could find
U.S. Fencing Association
Plovdiv Saber Grand Prix: Tomorrow's match-ups in the 64...
Daryl Homer (Men's Sabre) vs. Max Hartung (GER).
Jeff Spear vs. Ke Lu Jiang (CHN).
Luther Clement vs. Vincent Anstett (FRA).
James Williams vs. 2007 Senior World medalist Eun Seok Oh (KOR).
Avery Zuck vs. Nikolay Kovalev (RUS).

Swordsport Productions additional round of 64 matchups from FIS and FFE
Pastore (ITA) - Wagner (Ger)
Boyko (Ukr) - Miracco (ITA)
Tarantino (ITA) - Rousset (Fra)
Tricarico (ITA) - Nemcsik (Hun)
Smandi (Tun) – Occhiuzzi (ITA)
Medard (Fra) - Lapkes (Blr)
Pillet (Fra) - Savich (Rus)
Lamboley (Fra) - Velikiy (Rus)
Lopez (Fra) - Decsi (Hun)
Apithy (Fra) - Beisheim (Ger)

[gladius]

Results posted on the FIE web site: here

[sheck]

The Russians got 4 in the top 16 and 3 into the top 8. Germany also got 4 into the top 16. Strong result by Homer. Also in a major surprise AGRESTA of Brazil makes the top 8.

[gladius]

...Also in a major surprise AGRESTA of Brazil makes the top 8.

Renzo Agresta trains at and fences for Club Scherma Roma since 2005. click here

His coach is Maestro Alessandro Di Agostino.

[gladius]

After the Plovdiv Grand Prix, Jean-Philippe Daurelle, France MS national coach is "disappointed but not discouraged"


With a ninth place by Boladé Apithy as the best French result in Bulgatia the MS national coach cannot be pleased.

"We are disappointed but not discouraged," charges maître Daurelle. "We have Bolade in top 16 and Vincent [Anstett] in top 32. We must have lost 7 bouts by two touches maximimum, two of them 14-15. I noticed some problems with technique but especially a lack of confidence in the guys. Everybody tried hard, we had some very nice bouts and we must find some adjustments to win. In general we are not totally lost."

The selection of the athletes who will fence the team event in Padua in two weeks will be announced this week after consultation with the weapon commission.

"We still have a small window," said Jean-Philippe Daurelle referring to the Olympic qualification. "We must take our chances and fight all the way to the bitter end."

A chance no doubt the French sabreurs will bet on when going back to work upon their return from Bulgaria. This means Tuesday at Insep (the national elite training center).

Help thyself and Heaven will help thee [as the poet Jean de La Fontaine wrote]. That is if Heaven in Padua will be kind to the French...

Denis Goran

Source: FFE