LOKHANOVA Sofia

Personal Information

Family Husband Konstantin Lokhanov

Other names Sofia Pozdniakova

Residence Moscow, RUS

Occupation Armed Forces Athlete

Languages English, French, Russian

License number 17061997000

Club

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Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? She began fencing at age 10 in Novosibirsk, Russian Federation.

Why this sport? After doing swimming and acrobatics, she switched to fencing. She chose sabre because it was not possible to do foil or epee fencing where she lived.

Club / Team Central Sports Army Club [RUS] / Novosibirsk Regional Fencing Sports School of Olympic Reserve [RUS]:

Name of coach Dmitry Glotov [national], RUS; Sergey Stepankin [personal], RUS

Handedness Right

International Debut

Year 2017

Competing for Russia

General Interest

Nicknames Sonya, Pozdni (tass.ru, 24 Jul 2018)

Most influential person in career Coaches Christian Bauer, Alexander Shirshov, and Sergey Stepankin, and her family. (Athlete, 28 Jul 2018)

Hero / Idol Russian fencer [and her father] Stanislav Pozdniakov, Russian Greco-Roman wrestler Roman Vlasov. (Athlete, 28 Jul 2018)

Injuries She has torn cruciate ligaments twice during her career, and was out of action for significant periods of time on both occasions. (tass.ru, 24 Jul 2018; vesti.ru, 17 Oct 2013)

Sporting philosophy / motto "Never back down." (Instagram profile, 30 Jan 2022)

Awards and honours In recognition of her achievements at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, she received the Order of Friendship from the president of the Russian Federation. (kremlin.ru, 11 Aug 2021)

In 2018 she received the title of Honoured Master of Sport in the Russian Federation. (minsport.gov.ru, 28 Nov 2018)

Famous relatives Her father Stanislav Pozdniakov competed in sabre fencing at five Olympic Games from 1992 to 2008, winning four gold medals and a bronze, as well as multiple world titles. He has also worked as a coach of the Russian national fencing team, served as vice-president of the Russian Fencing Federation, and in 2018 he was elected president of the Russian Olympic Committee. Her husband Konstantin Lokhanov competed in fencing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Her younger sister Anna Pozdniakova has represented the Russian Federation in 3x3 basketball, and won gold at the 2018 U23 World Cup in Xian, People's Republic of China. (sobaka.ru, 07 Oct 2021; russiabasket.ru, 07 Oct 2018; interfax.ru, 29 May 2018)

Other information FAMILY AFFAIR
She thinks that doing the same sport as her husband, Russian sabre fencer Konstantin Lokhanov, helps their family life. "When I moved to Moscow in 2015, we trained with the same coach. There were few girls in the group, so I had to fence with boys, including my future husband. Konstantin is very tall, so due to his height he managed to inflict more blows on me than I did on him. Of course, I didn't like losing. However, Konstantin himself did not really like to fence with me, because sometimes I hit bitingly and painfully. Once we decided that we would only fence with each other in case of utmost necessity. For example, when you need to work out some kind of combat situation, we can do the exercise in a pair. At some points, Kostya gives me advice: he sees how I train, he can come to correct me - just like me. Support and mutual assistance reign in our family, because we, like no one else, understand each other's lifestyle. When one person in the family is an athlete, and the other is far from this area, it is hard for them to get along. So it's great that we're in the same boat." (sobaka.ru, 07 Oct 2021)

MAKING HER MARK
Her father Stanislav Pozdniakov won five medals in fencing at the Olympic Games. After claiming gold in individual sabre at the 2018 World Championships in Wuxi, People's Republic of China, Sofia stated that she hoped she would now be known for her own achievements rather than being the 'daughter of Pozdniakov'. "I hope that now they will just call me Sofia Pozdniakova, the world champion. During the [world] championships, my father did not give me any advice. We have a rule that I turn off my phone for the duration of the tournament. I think he is not as worried as my mother is as he has been in sports for many years. But my mother is another thing, she worries and supports me with tenderness and care." (tass.ru, 24 Jul 2018)