Ukraine’s national épée team wins gold at World Cup stage for the first time in 7 years
Pravda Ukraine
Ukraine’s women’s national épée team have won gold at the World Cup in Legnano, Italy, defeating South Korean fencers with a score of 41:40.
Source: Suspilne Sport
Details: This stage in the city of Legnano was the first at fencing World Cup level in the 2023/24 season. In Legnano, the Ukrainian team consisted of Vlada Kharkova, Olena Kryvytska, Inna Brovko and Dzhoan-Feybi Bezhura. The Ukrainians were seeded sixth in the tournament.
Estonia became the first rival of the Ukrainian fencers at the tournament – in the 1/8 finals. In the debut match, Ukraine won with a score of 39:34.
In the quarterfinals, the Ukrainians met the hosts of the competition, the Italians, led by two-time world champion Rossella Fiamingo. A 45:36 victory guaranteed Ukraine a place in the top 4.
Vlada Kharkova, Olena Kryvytska, Inna Brovko and Dzhoan-Feybi Bezhura competed for a place in the final against the Hong Kong team. The match was a close fight, eventually won by the Ukrainians with a score of 45:40, which guaranteed them at least a silver medal.
In the final of this World Cup stage, the Ukrainian team met the first seed, the South Korean national team, which included the 2020 Olympic medallists and world champions Kang Young Mi and Song Se-ra.
The final match of the tournament ended with Ukraine’s narrow 41:40 victory.
Thus, on the way to gold, Ukraine defeated all three medallists of the 2020 Olympics.
This is the first gold medal in a women’s épée fencing tournament since 14 October 2016, when Ukraine won a competition stage in Suzhou, China. Back then, Ukraine also defeated South Korea in the final.
In the Olympic qualifiers, Ukraine has risen to fifth place. Ukraine is the best team in Europe that has not yet won a direct ticket to the 2024 Olympics, so it is applying for an Olympic licence under the continental quota.
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