An endless liberating howl followed his success. Saturday March 23, French swordsman Romain Cannone won the World Cup stage in Tbilisi (Georgia), beating Belgian Neisser Loyola (15-10) in the final. The first world success for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic champion since his title as world champion in Cairo (Egypt), in the summer of 2022. And above all a salutary victory just a stone's throw from the Paris 2024 Olympics, while the tricolor sword – usually the spearhead of French fencing – has been going through a deep crisis for months.
Romain Cannone is one of the spearheads of the revolt against the now ex-general manager of the French men's epee, Hugues Obry, who left his post last month. A resignation against a backdrop of disagreement between the technician and several athletes, while remaining in technical supervision.
Accompanied by Alexandre Bardenet, semi-finalist in Georgia on Saturday, and Yannick Borel, beaten in the quarter-final, the reigning Olympic champion denounced last week an “insufficient” change to put the tricolor sword back on its feet. “We’re going straight into the wall,” said Romain Cannone in L’Equipe alongside the two swordsmen. We cannot continue like this with Hugues in the Olympic project and a national technical director committed to his cause. »
Qualification for the Olympics acquired for Cannone
On the track, “Pano” – the nickname, taken from Peter Pan, which he inherited when he started in the France group – demonstrated his usual panoply: touches on the foot and glove, which have become trademarks, and dodges in all genres. By winning on Saturday in Tbilisi, the final World Cup stage set to decide between the French swordsmen, the Frenchman sealed his qualification for the Paris Olympic Games. At home, he will defend the title acquired almost to everyone's surprise in 2021 in Japan: replacing one month before the Games and 47th in the world, he only owed his selection to the sidelining of a former player due to of a positive control for a diuretic.
Alexandre Bardenet and Yannick Borel should accompany their rebellious musketeer companion to Paris 2024. Best French on Saturday, and well established in the world top 10, their selection will have to be confirmed by a future commission; but it is difficult to imagine them being sidelined, unless we see French fencing sinking even deeper into crisis. Sunday, the team tournament in Tbilisi could allow the French to turn the page on the conflict Obry, who did not make the trip to Georgia, but remains in the team management, to supervise the youngest.
