Coutya wins third Euro wheelchair fencing medal

Britain's Dimitri Coutya has won his third medal at the European Wheelchair Fencing Championships in Paris.

The 26-year-old from London but based in Bath, combined with Piers Gilliver, Oliver Lam-Watson and Joshua Waddell for men's team Foil gold.

The GB team edged past France 45-42 in the last four before a comfortable 45-28 success over Italy in the final.

Earlier in the week, Coutya retained his individual Foil B title and took Sabre B silver.

Gilliver also made it back-to-back Sabre A European titles and there was a first European medal for Gemma Collis who was runner-up in the women's Epee A.

The Sabre silver for Coutya, who won a silver and three bronzes at the Tokyo Paralympics, was his first major championship medal with the weapon, but he lost out 15-7 to defending champion Adrian Castro from Poland.

Ranked number one in the world in the Foil division, he defeated home favourite and world number two Maxime Valet 15-10.

Gilliver eased through his opening individual event and defeated Ukraine's Andrii Demchuk, the 2018 European champion, 15-10 in the decider.

Demchuk's team-mate Yevheniia Breus proved too strong for Collis in their final, edging the Briton by just one point (15-14) to win her first European title.

Coutya has a strong chance of another medal in Saturday's Epee competition - an event where he is also ranked number one in the world.