Olympics: Italy wins women's team foil gold

London, Aug 3 (IANS/RIA Novosti):

Italy’s fencers beat Russia to win gold in the women’s team foil Thursday, a result that gives Italy’s Valentina Vezzali her sixth Olympic gold medal.

The Italian team of Vezzali, Arianna Errigo, Elisa di Francisca and Ilaria Salvatori were hot favourites to win after taking all the individual foil medals between them earlier in the Olympics, and stormed to a 45-31 win over Russia’s Inna Deriglazova, Larisa Korobeinikova and Aida Shanaeva.

The Russians, who were victorious in the same event in Beijing for years ago, won just two of the nine matches in the final.

Bronze went to South Korea, whose team of Nam Hyun Hee, Jung Gil Ok, Jeon Hee Sook and Oh Na Na prevailed 45-32 against the French team of Astrid Guyart, Corinne Maitrejean, Ysaora Thibus and Anita Blaze.