Sofija Prosina made history tonight, becoming Latvia’s first-ever World Champion in fencing with a commanding 15–7 victory over Switzerland’s Magda Louna Maiga in the Junior women’s épée final at a vibrant Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro.
In a field of 169 fencers, Prosina’s path to gold was anything but easy. In the quarterfinals, she defeated 2025 Cadet World Champion (Wuxi, China) Lotti Horvath of Hungary by a decisive 15–6 margin. She then produced a remarkable comeback in the semifinals against Canada’s Ruien Xiao.
Xiao, ranked 15th in the senior standings, appeared in control late in the bout, holding an 8–5 lead with just one minute remaining. Prosina responded under pressure, landing three precise toe touches to level the score. The match moved into sudden-death priority, where Prosina once again found the toe to secure a dramatic 9–8 victory.
In the other semifinal, Maiga overwhelmed Canada’s Nicole Xuan 15–11 with an unrelenting, high-pressure attack. Employing a rare level of aggression for épée, Maiga dictated the tempo throughout, leaving Xuan unable to slow her momentum.
Xuan and Xiao each earned bronze medals.
Canada nearly placed a third fencer on the podium, but defending World Champion Julia Yin (Wuxi, China 2025) was stopped in the quarterfinals by Maiga, 15–9.
The round of 32 featured two notable upsets. Ukraine’s Anna Maksymenko, ranked ninth in the senior standings, was edged 12–11 by Hong Kong’s Wu Haidi, the 2025 (Wuxi, China) Cadet bronze medalist. Meanwhile, Hungary’s Blanka Virag Nagy, the 2025 (Wuxi, China) Junior silver medalist, was defeated by Estonia’s Eliisa Kikerpill 15-12.
Final Rankings – Junior Women’s Épée
Sofija Prosina (LAT) – Gold
Magda Louna Maiga (SUI) – Silver
Nicole Xuan (CAN) – Bronze
Ruien Xiao (CAN) – Bronze
Lotti Horvath (HUN)
Aline Dmytruk (UKR)
Julia Yin (CAN)
Natalya Cafasso (USA)