Making his victory even sweeter, Coutya had earlier blown out a candle on the piste in the direct elimination in celebration of his 29^th birthday.

The British world champion carved himself an early lead in his final against Amelio Castro of Italy. But former refugee Para athlete Castro fought back and began to close the gap on his opponent, with both fencers pushed forward by vocal support. The tension of the second half therefore came as a surprise to the watching crowds.

With the score at 14-12 to Coutya dug deep and drew on his years of experience, landing an epic hit on Castro within the blink of an eye. He is now unbeaten in the weapon at four consecutive European Championships.

“I think to win on home soil is particularly special, “Coutya said. “I’ve got family here, and it’s really important to raise awareness of the sport in the country. We’ve got one of the biggest squads we’ve ever fielded at a major championships, So for us to come home with at least one title this week is important.”

Neutral Para Athlete Oleg Sukhoteplyi and France’s Thomas Tachdjian were the bronze medallists.

Ukraine’s Serhii Shavkun became a triple European champion in the men’s epee category C.

Shavkun, aged 54, faced Serhii Sheptitsky, aged 34, in the final in an all-Ukrainian face-off which represented the different generations of category C fencing in the country.

Shavkun delivered a strong but kind message to Sheptitsky that he is still the man to beat with a score of 15-9.

Sheptitsky can be pleased with his latest major Championships podium. The same can be said for Italy’s Leonardo Rigo, the 2023 world championships bronze medallist who took the same colour in Cardiff and Israel’s Kanstantin Kavaliou, the silver medallist from two years ago.

Italy’s Ionela Andreea Mogos made the perfect transition from gold with her compatriots in the mixed team foil to victory in the women’s foil category B on Tuesday.

Ukraine’s Nadia Doloh, the defending champion, was her opponent. Unfortunately for Doloh, Mogos took control of the match from early on and stretched her lead all the way to a 15-2 win to leave the Ukrainian with silver this time.

Great Britain’s Justine Moore secured her first major medal with bronze. Neutral Para Athlete Viktoriia Boykova also claimed bronze.

Hungary’s Anna Nadasdy won her first ever individual European title with a storming finals performance against Georgia’s Nina Tibilashvili in the women’s foil category A.

The 21-year-old showed experience way beyond her years in this tough weapon that many spend a lifetime trying to master. Tibilashvili was also delighted with her silver, her best ever performance at this level and a return to the podium for the first time since 2022.

Spain’s Judith Rodriguez Menendez secured her second consecutive bronze and Italy’s Sofia Garnero claimed her first.

The men’s epee category A saw Neutral Para Athlete Vadim Shenfeld take on Türkiye’s Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medallist Hakan Akkaya for gold.

A thrillingly close tie saw the pair exchange hits and deliver sustained periods of attacks across the whole match. It was Shenfeld who had the edge, letting out a huge scream of delight on reaching the magic 15, leaving Hakkaya to shake his head in disappointment.

Germany’s Maurice Schmidt matched his performance from the last European Championships with bronze alongside Neutral Para Athlete Artur Yusopov.

The Cardiff 2026 Para Fencing European Championships run until 11 October and feature more than 130 athletes from 14 countries.

Thursday (7 October) will feature the men’s epee and women’s team epee and mixed team sabre