Gazette Staff
TARANTO, Italy — Egyptian fencer Abdel Rahman Tolba won the bronze medal in the men’s foil event at the 2026 Mediterranean Games held in Italy’s Taranto after narrowly losing 15-14 to Italy’s Davide Filippi in the semi-finals.
Tolba delivered a strong performance in a thrilling semi-final, fighting back after falling behind early due to an injury and mounting a strong challenge against the Italian champion.
He reached the semi-finals after defeating Italy’s Giuseppe Franzoni 15-7.
Earlier, Tolba beat France’s Eliot Chagnon 15-10 in the quarter-finals. He began his campaign with two wins from five bouts in the group stage.
The Egyptian fencing delegation is headed by Ahmed Samir, vice president of the Egyptian Fencing Federation. The coaching staff includes foil coach Maher Hamza, épée coach Islam Gamal and sabre coach Andrea Kostasheva.
