World stars to attend Villa de La Habana Fencing Grand Prix

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 4 (acn) Several of the best foil fencer in the world, including Italian Elissa Di Francisca and Russian Dimitri Rigin, champions last year, will compete in the Villa de La Habana Fencing Grand Prix, from March 11 to 13 in this city.

As usual , PABEXPO exhibition center will serve as stage of the strong competition, but this time the Gerardo Abreu Fontan Social Club will co-host the contest .
Zuelidis Ortiz, national methodologist of that sport, told ACN that 100 men and 80 women have already confirmed their presence in the foil events.
She added that Cuba will be represented by nine men and seven women whose main goal will be reaching the round of 64 and earn points for the world ranking .
She also explained that this competition will be very important for Cubans towards the Olympic qualifying tournament of the Pan American area, to be held in Costa Rica from April 15 to 17.
Former member of the national team and world silver medalist in 1997 in women's epee event, Ortiz said the Cuban foil fencers with better options to advance on the tourney are the men Michel Carty, Riuben Jay and Leandro Ramos, as well as the women Elizabeth Hidalgo and Angela Neivis.
In addition to the aforementioned Di Francisca, queen in 2015 and Olympic monarch in London 2012, the women's foil event of the Villa de La Habana Grand Prix will also be attended , among other figures, by Russian Inna Deriglazova, silver medalist last year.
Meanwhile, besides Rigin, the men's event also includes American Race Imboden, champion in 2013, his compatriot Alexander Masialas (silver medalist last year), and Italian Daniel Garozzo (bronze medalist).