Toto and Horvath claim the epee golds

Hiroaki Toto of France delivered a commanding performance to top a field of 138 fencers at the Cadet Men’s Épée World Championship, defeating Canada’s Junzhe Simon Shan 15–11 in front of an appreciative crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s Carioca Arena.

Meanwhile, Lotti Horvath of Hungary successfully defended her Cadet Women’s Épée World Championship title—first won in Wuxi, China in 2025—by defeating Natalya Cafasso of the United States, 15–8.

Toto recovered from an early 3–1 deficit to take a narrow 5–4 lead into the first-minute break. From there, he controlled the bout, scoring three toe touches and capitalizing on five double touches in the final phase—sealing the victory with a double on the decisive, gold medal touch.

The Frenchman’s path to the title was marked by consistent, composed fencing. He earned a 15–12 victory over Türkiye’s Mehmet Ilgar Cevizici in the round of 16, followed with a 15–11 win against Australia’s Sora Robinson in the quarterfinals, and then defeated Japan’s Ando Kyosuke in the semifinals.

Ando showed great determination despite fencing with a right leg injury, which significantly limited his mobility in a discipline where footspeed is crucial.

In the other semifinal, Shan advanced with a dominant 15–8 win over Ukraine’s Oleksandr Stabnikov. Stabnikov had earlier produced one of the most thrilling bouts of the day, rallying for a 14–13 overtime victory against Belgium’s Wout van Laecke in the quarterfinals.

Both Ando and Stabnikov claimed bronze medals.

Competing in a field of 129 fencers, Horvath’s toughest test came in the semifinal against Ukraine’s Alina Dmytruk, whom she had defeated for gold in Wuxi. In a tightly contested, back-and-forth bout, Horvath prevailed 15–12, showcasing her command of distance and using her reach advantage to secure key double touches while holding the lead.

In both the semifinal and final, Horvath demonstrated a sophisticated tactical arsenal, mixing in well-timed toe touches and intentional remises on her way to the top of the podium.

In the other semifinal, Cafasso combined frenetic footwork with strong bladework to defeat Canada’s Yanka Sobus, 15–9.

Dmytruk and Sobus each earned bronze medals.

Notably, Horvath, Cafasso, and Dmytruk all reached the quarterfinals of the Junior competition the previous day, underlining their status as leaders of the next generation in women’s épée.

Canada’s Julia Yin—2025 Junior World Champion—also fits into that group, having reached the quarterfinals in both the Junior and Cadet events. Yin’s run in the Cadet competition ended in the round of eight with a 15–12 loss to Cafasso.

Final Rankings – Cadet Women’s Épée
Lotti Horvath (HUN) – Gold
Natalya Cafasso (USA) – Silver
Alina Dmytruk (UKR) – Bronze
Yanka Sobus (CAN) – Bronze
Julia Yin (CAN)
Francesca Aina (ITA)
Adela Bartoskova (CZE)
Viktoria Nikiforov (GER)

Final Ranking – Cadet Men’s Épée
Hiroaki Toto (FRA) – Gold
Junzhe (Simon) Shan (CAN) – Silver
Oleksandr Stabnikov (UKR) – Bronze
Ando Kyosuke (JPN) – Bronze
Sora Robinson (AUS)
Wout van Laecke (BEL)
Aron Petrovszki (HUN)
Mordechai Milu Lachman (ISR)