Germans to be favorites in Olympic fencing day-5 finals
12/8/2008 17:01
The Germans are tipped to be favorites in the two finals on fifth day of
Olympic fencing competitions in Beijing tomorrow, especially after Italian top
foilist was barred from the Olympics due to doping.
The men's foil will
possibly feature a fight between Germany's Peter Joppich, ranked number one in
the world, and Italian Andrea Cassara, after Andrea Baldini was plunged into a
doping scandal.
The International Fencing Federation said hearings on
Andrea's case would be held in September after the Olympics.
China will field
in Lei Sheng and Zhu Jun, both within the world's top 10, for the ambition of an
Olympic medal.
Of the women's epee event on the same day, Germany's Britta
Heidemann is the star as she has won a World Cup medal just a few months ago and
currently stays as world's top seed.
In epee, host team players have a shot.
China's Li Na will pose serious challenges for Heidemann and is hopeful of
claiming a medal.
Other players who have a chance in epee are Ana Maria
Branza of Romania, Imke Duplitzer of Germany as well as French and Russian
contenders.
Xinhua
|
