Victory for Auriane Mallo-Breton in the Cali Grand Prix

Auriane Mallo-Breton has a sense of timing. While the internal race for Olympic qualification is very close in the women’s epee, the 30-year-old fencer took a very big step towards the Paris Games by winning the Grand Prix in Cali (Colombia) on Sunday.

The world No.16 even looked big for her first international win, winning four of her six attacks by just a touch, including two 15-14 successes in the semi-finals against Federica Isola and then against Giulia Rizzi in the final.

“I’m very happy with this win which feels good,” she responded. I have a complicated season, I asked myself too many questions, I had trouble finding myself. My sprain the day before leaving for China (end of March) allowed me to take a break, and focus only on myself, what I had to do, to enjoy fencing again, to play. It paid off, I’m very happy with my day, which started very difficult: I won 15-14 on a table of 64 over Diane Von Kerssenbrock, it was nothing. It is very important to remember that things can go either well or badly. I know that the work is going in the right direction and I will continue like this until the next competition in two weeks. »

A very good accounting operation

European bronze medalist in 2023, she has been circling this success since her first international podium, already in Cali, in 2018. Although she had so far never progressed beyond the round of 16 this season, Mallo-Breton is making a very good accounting before the last stage of the World Selective Championship for the Games, scheduled for Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) from May 17 to 19. Especially since of ten French representatives on the starting line this Sunday in Cali, the other nine did not make it to the second round, the reigning world champion Marie-Florence Candassamy notably lost 11-12 in the second round.

Among the men, no Frenchman managed to get on the podium. Yannick Borel came closest, and lost by one tap in the quarter-final against the Egyptian Mohamed Nada Saleh (14-15). The Olympic champion Romain Cannone, who was still on the verge of victory in the World Cup in Tbilisi (Georgia), was knocked out in the second round by the South Korean Minseong Son (14-15).

They will have one last chance to shine from May 17 to 19 at the World Cup in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, the last meeting before the announcement of the Olympic selection.