Quebec Fencers Compete at World Cup in Casablanca
On October 19, 2026, the Quebec fencers showcased their skills at the World Cup of épée and sabre held in the vibrant city of Casablanca, Morocco, where they faced formidable competition but were unable to secure a spot in the main draws. Among them, **Alexanne Verret** came the closest to advancing, as her journey concluded in the preliminary round of 64 after a narrow defeat with a score of 12-11 against China's Yuchen Xie, ultimately placing her in 75th position.
The athlete from Quebec City managed to achieve a commendable record of 5 wins and 1 loss in the pool rounds, demonstrating her competitive spirit by defeating Ukrainian fencer Yuliia Fatula with a score of 15-12 in the preliminary round of 128. However, her efforts weren't enough to carry her further into the tournament. Meanwhile, **Ruien Xiao** emerged as the top representative of Canada, finishing in 36th place in a tournament won by Italy's Roberta Marzani. Other Quebec fencers, **Sarah-Ève Lord** and **Anne-Marie Dorval**, ranked 184th and 197th respectively, highlighting the challenges faced by the Canadian team.
Men's Competition and Team Events
The men's competition proved to be even more challenging, with **William Doyon-Verdon** being the only competitor to progress beyond the pool rounds. Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the preliminary round of 256, suffering a defeat of 15-5 against French fencer Gaétan Billa, which left him ranked 221st. His teammates **Christian Badea** and **Léonard Dalcourt-Guillotte** both finished with records of 1-5 in the pool rounds, ending their tournaments in 300th and 302nd places, respectively.
During the team events held on Sunday, both Canadian teams were halted in the round of 32. Verret, teaming up with Ruien Xiao, Nicola Xuan, and Julia Yin, was the sole Quebec representative. The Canadian women's team faced a tough match, ultimately falling 36-33 to the Romanian squad. It’s noteworthy that several other Quebec fencers participated in World Cup events over the weekend in Oran, Algeria, competing in the sabre category. Among them, **Olivier Desrosiers** (53rd), **Marc Gélinas** (111th), **Mathis Falcon-Korb** (116th), **Abtin Abbasi** (132nd), and **William Han** (161st) represented the men's side, while **Zhi Jun Liu** (132nd) was the only female fencer from Quebec.
Abbasi, Desrosiers, and Falcon-Korb also participated in the team competition on Sunday, concluding their efforts in 17th place. The performances of these athletes reflect the dedication and resilience of Quebec's fencing community on the international stage.
As reported by sportcom.ca.
