A characteristically brilliant display by Alice Volpi helped Olympic bronze medallists Italy win the first fencing team gold of the Games at the Tauron Arena Kraków against Tokyo 2020 silver medallists France 45-40.

Volpi - the 2018 individual world champion who won 2022 world gold in the team event - was the star performer for Italy as she defeated Morgane Patru 9-1 and Anita Blaze 8-4 before claiming a 6-4 victory to seal gold against Ysaora Thibus.

Martina Favaretto and Martina Batini also featured in the Italian success.

Bronze went to Germany, who proved too good for Hungary in a 45-38 victory.

Italy earlier thrashed Ukraine 45-26 and Hungary 45-35, but their hopes of a fencing double in the men's sabre team final were confounded as the French had their revenge, winning 45-42.

Sebastien Patrice played a key role as he beat Italy’s Olympic individual silver medallist Luigi Samele 6-2 in the final match to help them come from 40-39 behind to win.

Maxime Pianfetti and Boladé Apithy also represented France in a closely-contested final.

Germany had earlier secured a women's foil and men's sabre double bronze by beating Hungary 45-28.

The Italian team hammered Slovenia 45-13 and edged past Romania 45-44 to reach the final.

The gold moved Italy onto 21 for the European Games, although a highly successful day for Ukraine in shooting and diving moved them up to second on the standings with 19 triumphs.

Olena Kostevych, Anastasiia Nimets and Yuliya Korostylova beat Poland's Joanna Wawrzonowska, Julita Borek, Klaudia Breś 16-10 in the women's 25 metres pistol team final at the Wrocław Shooting Centre.

Germany overcame Hungary 16-12 to take bronze.

Ukraine’s Oleg Kolodiy and Danylo Konovalov finished strongly in the last diving event of Kraków-Małopolska 2023 at the Rzeszów Diving Arena to win the men's 3m synchronised platform event convincingly with a score of 410.66.

Italy's Lorenzo Marsaglia and Giovanni Tocci put in a strong later effort to take silver with 402.66, with France - represented by Jules Mateo Bouyer and Alexis Jandard - moving up to take bronze with 394.92, marginally displacing Britain’s Ross Haslam and James Heatly who had led at the halfway stage.

Switzerland won the day's other shooting and diving golds.

Nina Christen and Jan Lochbihler overcame Sheileen Waibel and Andreas Thum of Austria in the final of the mixed team 50m rifle three positions in Wrocław.

Norway's Jenny Stene and Simon Kolstad Claussen took bronze at the expense of Denmark's Steffen Olsen and Stephanie Laura Grundsoee.

There was further Swiss success in the diving as Michelle Heimberg won the women's 1m springboard final by just 0.15 points ahead of Emilia Nilsson Garip of Sweden.

A finishing 58.50 reverse 1.5 somersaults with 1.5 twists free dive helped Heimberg to finish on 273.25, leapfrogging Nilsson Garip who ended on 273.10.

Grace Reid of Britain was third on 266.90.

Rain forced the postponement of the women’s singles teqball final between Amelie Julian of France and Kinga Barabasi of Romania on Kraków Main Square.

It has been scheduled to be held during tomorrow’s men’s singles programme.

The bronze medal match was completed just before heavy rain fell, with Denmark's Nanna Lind Kristensen beating Mara D'Alessandro of Italy 12-6, 12-7.

Ski jumping men's normal hill competition on the Średnia Krokiew jumping hill was also postponed until tomorrow because of high winds in Zakopane.

Those additions to the schedule mean 13 medal events are set to be held across seven sports on day seven.