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The Swiss épée fencers’ medal dream was shattered early at the home European Championships in Basel – although Max Heinzer shone at the end of his career.
The Swiss trio of Alexis Bayard, Max Heinzer and Lucas Malcotti lost to the Netherlands in the round of 16 with 41:42 after extra time. The decisive goal was scored by the Dutchman Tristan Tulen against Bayard in extra time.
The Swiss, for whom individual bronze winner Ian Hauri was only a substitute, fell behind early on. After 6 of 9 fights the score was 18:30. Only Heinzer limited the damage with a score of -1.
Bad luck in overtime
But then the Swiss player started a big comeback. He won the fight against David van Nunen with a clear 9:1 and transferred the fighting strength to Malcotti, who put the Swiss colors in the lead for the first time with a 7:2 (34:33).
Bayard, the final fencer, had to give up the lead again. The Valaisan managed to equalise twice in a real second-long thriller – most recently he was countered by Tulen in a dive attack.
Heinzer’s career over
For Heinzer, the team competition marked the end of a great career. The 36-year-old from Lucerne had announced that he would retire after the European Championships in Basel. In the singles, he was eliminated in the round of 32.
Heinzer has won a total of 19 World and European Championship medals since 2009, including four team golds and six individual European Championship medals. He won the home World Cup in Bern three times in a row (2011-13).
SRF livestream, June 22, 2024, 10:20 a.m.;
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