Four Team Ireland fencers have been named by the Olympic Federation of Ireland to compete at the European Games in Krakow.
This is a European Games debut for Irish fencers, in the sport that also featured on the 2015 European Games programme in Baku.
Competition takes place in the Tauron Arena in Krakow and Irish competition runs from the June 25th-28th.
The European Games is a multi-sport event run by the European Olympic Committees, with Team Ireland competition expected in seventeen sports.
Approximately 120 athletes will be participating in the event, which also serves as an Olympic qualifier for many sports.
The four-strong Ireland team includes Giacomo Pietrobelli, who’ll be competing Men’s Epee Individual event.
He was born in Bergamo Italy, to Italian-Irish parents – and his grandmother’s family came from Sligo.
Pietrobelli started fencing at five years old – and trains in Italy in the historical “Società del Giardino” club in Milan with champions from all over the world.
Last season he was 3rd in the U17 European ranking, He is Junior and Senior National Champion.
This season although still a Junior, having competed at Junior Europeans and Worlds, he has now progressed to the Senior circuit. Giacomo’s grandmother’s family came from Sligo.
The four-person Ireland fencing team will see athletes competing in the Men’s Individual Sabre, the Men’s Sabre Team, and the Men’s Individual Epee events. Competition in these events begins with a group round in which 6-7 players fight to five hits. The maximum fighting time is 3 minutes, and this is followed by direct elimination rounds.
Ireland Fencing team:
Jadryn Dick (Belfast/Australia) Men’s Individual Sabre
Michael Jacob (Dublin/UK) Men’s Sabre Team
Michalis Kirimlidis (Cork) Men’s Individual Sabre, Men’s Sabre Team
Giacomo Patrick Pietrobelli (Sligo/Bergamo, Italy) Men’s Epee Individual.
