Yannick Borel retained his European men’s épée title ©European Fencing/Facebook

France’s Yannick Borel and Italy’s Arianna Errigo both retained titles on the second day of action at the 2017 European Fencing Championships in Tbilisi.

Borel defeated Italy’s Paolo Pizzo in the men’s épée final at the Georgian capital's Gymnastic Arena to recapture the crown he won in Toruń in Poland last year.

The 28-year-old, a Rio 2016 team épée gold medallist, claimed a 15-10 win over Pizzo, the 2011 world champion, to clinch gold.

Bronze medals were won by Sergey Khodos of Russia and Estonia’s Nikolai Novosjolov after they were beaten in the semi-finals.

Borel’s opponent in last year’s final, Switzerland’s Max Heinzer, crashed out of the competition in the round of 64.

Arianna Errigo won her second consecutive women's foil title in Tbilisi ©European Fencing/Facebook
Arianna Errigo won her second consecutive women's foil title in Tbilisi ©European Fencing/Facebook

There was also action in the women’s foil event today as Errigo secured her second consecutive continental gold.

The London 2012 silver medallist once again proved too strong for the rest of the field, claiming a narrow 15-14 win over Russian Inna Deriglazova, the individual women's foil gold medallist from Rio 2016, in the final.

Errigo was joined on the podium by compatriot Alice Volpi after she claimed one bronze medal while the other went to Ysaora Thibus of France.

The competition is offering fencers a final chance to hone their preparations before the World Championships in German city Leipzig, which are scheduled to run from July 19 to 26.