Italy's Fiamme Oro Olympic fencer Alberta Santuccio has sealed her second consecutive World Cup gold in women's épée, dominating the final at Saint Maur, France with a decisive 15-8 victory over American Hadley Husisian. The Sicilian-born athlete's triumph marks her fourth career World Cup win and caps an exceptional season that has positioned her as one of the discipline's most formidable competitors.
Why This Matters
• Santuccio's victory reinforces Italy's dominance in women's épée on the international stage, with the national team securing multiple podiums throughout the 2025-2026 season.
• The result confirms her as second in the world rankings, with seven top-8 finishes in eight competitions this season.
• Italian fencers narrowly missed additional medals at three separate international events on the same day, all decided by a single touch at 14-14.
A Season of Sustained Excellence
Santuccio's performance at Saint Maur represents the culmination of a remarkable campaign that has yielded five medals in a single season: two golds, two silvers, and one bronze. The 31-year-old's consistency has been unmatched, appearing in the top eight at seven of the eight World Cup events contested this year.
Her previous victory came just two weeks earlier at the Medellín Grand Prix in Colombia, where she edged Hungarian Eszter Muhari 13-12 in sudden-death overtime. That narrow win showcased the mental fortitude that has become Santuccio's trademark, a quality honed through years of elite competition and her academic background in psychology.
The season's medal haul also includes silver finishes at Wuxi, China (where she lost to teammate Giulia Rizzi in an all-Italian final) and Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (defeated by France's Marie-Florence Candassamy), plus a bronze at Astana, Kazakhstan where she fell in the semifinals to Sera Song.
Italian Women's Épée: A Collective Force
Santuccio's individual brilliance sits within a broader narrative of Italian dominance in the discipline. At Wuxi in February, the national team achieved a historic clean sweep of the podium: Rizzi took gold, Santuccio silver, and Rossella Fiamingo bronze. That same weekend, the team squad—featuring Santuccio, Rizzi, Fiamingo, and Federica Isola—claimed bronze in the team event.
At Saint Maur, Gaia Traditi delivered an impressive performance to finish eighth, further evidence of the depth in Italy's women's épée program. Ten Italian fencers qualified for the main draw at the French venue, a concentration of talent that few nations can match.
The success extends beyond the senior ranks. At the European Under-23 Championships in Cagliari in April, Gaia Caforio won individual gold, and the Italian team of Caforio, Carola Maccagno, Lucrezia Paulis, and Vittoria Siletti captured the team title by defeating France in the final.
What This Means for Italian Fencing
Santuccio's trajectory mirrors the broader resurgence of Italy's fencing program. The Paris 2024 Olympics saw her contribute to the women's épée team's gold medal, adding to the bronze she won as part of the squad at Tokyo 2020. Her individual career highlights include silver medals at the 2022 Cairo World Championships and 2023 Milan World Championships, plus gold in the team event at the 2024 Basel European Championships.
With 13 career World Cup medals now to her name, Santuccio stands as a central figure in what is arguably the strongest generation of Italian women's épée fencers. Her educational background—a degree in psychology with honors—has informed her approach to the mental demands of high-stakes competition, an edge particularly visible in her ability to close out tight matches.
The upcoming European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia (June 16-21) and the World Championships in Hong Kong later this year will test whether Italy can convert its current form into major championship hardware. Santuccio's recent form suggests she will arrive at both events as a favorite.
The Road to Global Dominance
The Saint Maur victory was the final stop on the World Cup circuit for the 2025-2026 season, and Santuccio used it to cement her status at the top of the sport. Her ability to win on different continents—from Colombia to China to France—demonstrates adaptability to varying competitive environments and time zones, a crucial skill for any athlete aiming for sustained success.
For Santuccio, who began fencing at age seven in Catania and carried Italy's flag at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore 2010, the journey has been marked by steady accumulation of titles and experience. Her progression through the ranks of the Fiamme Oro sports group has built a competitor capable of thriving under pressure.
As the season concludes, Italian fencing finds itself in an enviable position: a roster of seasoned champions at their peak, emerging talents winning at youth level, and a depth of quality that ensures multiple medal contenders at every major event. Santuccio's double gold strikes in Medellín and Saint Maur have provided the perfect exclamation point to a campaign that has reminded the fencing world why Italy remains a force to be reckoned with in women's épée.
