Georgia became the first official World Cup winners in the women’s sabre, showing great form at the first opportunity in the new season. 

Competing against Thailand, Irma Khetsuriani, Gvantsa Zadishvili and Nina Tibilashvili took control of the match from an early stage. 

Thailand’s Saysunee Jana, Thitirat Pengprasittipong and Duean Nakprasit put on a good show, but it was not enough to halt the Georgian charge towards gold. 

“I’m exhausted with emotions, really,” Kheturiani said. “This victory is what we needed, definitely, because yesterday the girls fought so hard and had such an amazing fight but unfortunately Nina lost against Kinga [Drozdz, in the women’s individual sabre] so for us this match was important. we needed to win this one.” 

“It’s good for us this new format. It’s good,” Zadishvili said. Reflecting on the fact that in the new format athletes only compete against athletes within their classification category, Khetsuriani concluded: “The spirit, fighting with A is different and it’s really fair and I totally appreciate what they’ve done.” 

Poland’s Drozdz, Marta Fidrych, Sara Rogowska and Karolina Strawinska secured the final place on the podium, overcoming Ukraine for bronze. 

Italy claimed their third gold of their home World Cup in the men’s team foil. 

Emanuele Lambertini, Michele Massa, Luca Platania Parisi and Matteo Betti also took a commanding hold in their final match against Ukraine’s Andrii Demchuk, Oleg Naumenko, Dimitrii Zakusylov and Dmytro Serozhenko who settled for silver. 

Thailand’s Chitiphat Charoenta, Visit Kingmanaw, Phoopa Sae-Sim and Boonsiri Sanitmuanwai were the bronze medallists after being France. 

The Ukrainian women of Yevheniia Breus, Olena Fedota-Isaieva, Mariia Ivanchyk and Tetiana Pozniak surprised themselves in the team epee, claiming the gold against Poland. 

The team medal is something special because it is with our girls, with our country,” Fedota-Isaieva said. “We did not think that today we would get a medal.” 

Drozdz, Stawinska and Fidrych, joined in the epee by Jadwiga Pacek, doubled their = medal haul just a few hours after taking bronze in the sabre. 

Thailand also celebrated a second team podium as Jana, Nakprasit and Pengprasittipong took bronze to add to their silver from the women’s team foil. 

The Pisa 2026 Para Fencing World Cup featured individual and team events across epee, sabre and foil in men’s and women’s category A and B. 

It was the first of three World Cups to take place in 2026 ahead of regional Championships in Europe, Asia and the Americas which will kick-start the qualification pathway for the LA 2028 Paralympic Games. 

Fencers do not have to wait long to compete again with the next World Cup getting underway in Budapest, Hungary, on 19 March.