Olympics-Fencing-France to face ROC in women's foil teams final

"We're going to do the same thing and believe until the end," Thibus said. Italy still have hopes of winning a bronze to become the first country to win seven consecutive medals in the women's team foil Olympic competition.

France will vie with the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) for the title in the women's foil team event on Thursday after trouncing Italy in the semi-finals at the Tokyo Games.

Although Italy, second in the world rankings, maintained a steady lead throughout the game, Ysaora Thibus of France overtook Italy's Arianna Errigo in the ninth and final bout, bringing her team a breathtaking upset victory. Tied at 42-42, Thibus and Errigo eyed each other across the piste, waiting for the right moment to swipe. Thibus deftly knocked away her opponent's weapon to stab at her chest and gave her team a 45-43 victory that advanced them to the final.

"We just didn't give up and we knew we had the fencing to make them struggle... I'm really proud of this comeback, it's a really, really beautiful bout," said Thibus. After the final point, Thibus let out a scream and her teammates hugged her, sinking to their knees and close to tears.

They now face the ROC, which includes top-ranked Inna Deriglazova who already has a silver medal from the individual event. "We're going to do the same thing and believe until the end," Thibus said.

Italy still has hopes of winning a bronze to become the first country to win seven consecutive medals in the women's team foil Olympic competition. They are currently tied with the Soviet Union and Hungary at six consecutive medals. In the bronze-medal bout, Italy will face the United States, including Lee Kiefer who beat Deriglazova in the individual competition to win gold.