Jackson Wang was also named the sport’s first global ambassador, as the individual events wrapped up in Hong Kong on Monday
Graudyn and Favaretto win gold at Fencing World Championships
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Russia’s Pavel Graudyn and Italy’s Martina Favaretto claimed individual gold medals on Monday at the Fencing World Championships in Hong Kong, closing out the event’s individual competition.
Graudyn, 19, beat South Korea’s Do Gyeong-dong 15-7 in the men’s sabre final. He is competing under Russia’s national flag and anthem after the FIE lifted its restrictions on Russian and Belarusian fencers in June, having previously required neutral status since 2024. Graudyn becomes one of the first Russian fencers to compete for world gold under full national colours since the FIE’s restrictions began in 2022, and is a bronze medallist from last year’s European Championships.
In the women’s foil final, Favaretto beat fellow Italian Arianna Errigo 15-7 for her first individual world title at 24. Errigo, 38, picked up her 24th career world championship medal, 17 years after her first in Antalya. The result puts Italy top of the medal table after the individual events, with one gold and four silvers.
[See more: All you need to know about Hong Kong’s Fencing World Championships]
The tournament also drew attention off the strip. On Saturday, the FIE named Hong Kong born singer Jackson Wang as its first ever global ambassador, a role tied to promoting the sport ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Wang, a former Asian junior sabre champion who represented Hong Kong before pursuing music, said he had “always wanted to do this” for a sport he grew up loving.
The Kerry Fencing World Championships runs at AsiaWorld-Expo through 30 July, with team events still to come.
