Romania wins men's team saber Grand Prix in Budapest
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-08 10:25
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BUDAPEST: Romania won the men's team saber Grand Prix event in Budapest on Sunday after beating Italy 45-42 in a tightly-contested final.
Hosts Hungary took the bronze medal after they beat France 45-42 to decide third place. China finished in fifth position.
The medal positions were a repeat of the 2009 Team Saber World Championships held in Antalya in October in which Romania beat Italy in the final and Hungary came third.
Italy had led from the beginning of the final until halfway, when Gelu Florin Zalomir turned a 20-19 deficit into a 25-23 lead for Romania. The Romanians held on to the lead until the end.
Romania were represented in the final by Gelu Florin Zalomir, Tiberiu Dolniceanu, Rares Dumitrescu, and Cosmin Hanceanu. Italy's fencers in the decider were Aldo Montano, Giampiero Pastore, Luigi Samere and Diego Occhiuzzi.
Dumitrescu of Romania, who also won gold in the individual saber Grand Prix event on Saturday, said "the Italians have a very good team, and are always difficult to beat. It was a perfect weekend for me, as winning both saber competitions is quite an achievement."
Hungary's bronze medalists were Nikolasz Iliasz, Balazs Lontay, Aron Szilagyi and Tamas Decsi. Iliasz won bronze in the individual saber Grand Prix event on Saturday.
