France applauds the Italian epee player: they win with an error by the referee, agree to return to the pitch and lose. “That was right”

The decision was up to her: was it better the victory she had achieved also thanks to an referee error, or the risk of defeat to play again in the last minute of the assault? You had no doubts: you agreed to return to the platform, as a matter of fair play. And she lost. But the audience rose to a standing ovation, a sports legend paid homage to her, and she became the real winner of the day. It is the happy ending of an Under 20 Fencing World Cup competition in Beauvais, where Mariaclotilde Adosini, class of 2005 of the Polisportiva Scherma Bergamo, he found a space of respect in the French sports day.

The swordsman’s tournament began with a good group, which closed with five victories and one defeat by a single jab. The moment the direct elimination draw was formed, she entered with 12th place in the standings, passing the round by right to reach the sixteenth, where the Frenchwoman was waiting for her Juliette Baudinot. A balanced assault was born, jab after jab: Mariaclotilde finally won it 15-14, celebrating with a liberating scream.

When the assaults were over, however, a call came: “Adosini in the direction of the tournament”. It was explained to the blue that during the confrontation with Baudinot there had been an error by the referee, who had awarded her two hits instead of one on the score of 13-12 for the Frenchwoman. Only the French noticed it, and by asking for the Var she managed to prove the mistake. Too late, according to the regulation. There was only one chance to establish a different verdict. The tournament director explained it to Adosini: “You won the bout. From the regulation there would be no turning back. However, if you wanted, we could shoot for the last minute of the match, from 13-12, erasing the referee’s mistake”.

At that point Mariaclotilde decided: “The news took me by surprise, unprepared. For a moment so many thoughts crowded my head. But what mattered most to her right now was choosing which action was morally right. It was easy to accept the already proclaimed victory, but I felt that going back to the platform to re-dispute that last minute would have been more correct, with respect for my opponent and for our sport”. The Italian agreed to question the result, and this time she lost, receiving the embrace of her opponent and the applause of the public.Not only that: before the finals Mariaclotilde was called to the center of the parterre, where she was awaited for a public tribute Laura Flesseltwo gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals and former Minister of Sport.

“I lost, patience. I would do it again, because these are the teachings received from my family, from my fencing room and from my teacher Francesco Calabrese” comments the blue at the end. By the way: the tournament was won by the American Hadley Husisian in the final on the compatriot Michaela Joyce. Even if everyone was only talking about an Italian woman and her fair play.