At the 2015 world championships in Moscow, Russia beat Ukraine 45-41 in the women's team sabre final to claim a record seventh world championship gold medal in this event.
Russia have now won more than double the number of gold medals than the second- most successful team in women's team sabre, United States with three golds. Russia has won most total medals in the women's team sabre, 11. Sofya Velikaya (RUS) won a record fifth gold medal in women's team sabre. Velikaya previously won the gold medal in this event in 2004, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Earlier at the 2015 world championships, Velikaya won the gold medal in women's individual sabre. It is the second time she holds both the world title in the women's individual and team sabre event, after 2011.
Together with Velikaya, Ukraine's Olga Kharlan is the only other fencer to achieve that feat as she won both the women's individual and team sabre event in 2013. Ukraine grabbed their fifth silver medal in this event, after 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012. No other team has finished second in this event more than three times.
Defending champions United States beat Poland 45-33 to claim the bronze medal. They have won this event three times in total, but never at back-to-back world championships.
It was United States' fourth bronze medal in this event. No other team (Azerbaijan, France) has claimed more than three bronze medals in women's team sabre.
Men’s Team sabre
At the 2015 world championships in Moscow, Italy beat Russia 45-36 to claim their sixth gold medal in men's team sabre and their first since 1995. Italy had previously also won this event in 1938, 1947, 1949 and 1950. Hungary (16), Soviet Union (15) and Russia (8) are the only teams to have won the men's team sabre more often than Italy.
Ever since their last gold medal in 1995, Italy had claimed four silver and two bronze medals in this event. The last time they finished on the podium was in 2011 when they took the bronze. Aldo Montano (ITA, 1978) won his seventh medal in men's team sabre and his first gold.
The Montano family has now claimed a combined 16 medals in men's team sabre at the world championships. Aldo Montano (ITA, 23 Nov 1910) won three gold medals and one silver medal, Mario Aldo Montano (ITA) claimed two silver and three bronze medals and Aldo Montano (ITA, 18 Nov 1978) has now taken one gold, four silver and two bronze medals so far.
Russia failed to win the world title for the second year in a row. They have won seven of the 12 men's team sabre events this century, winning four in a row from 2001-2005 and three in a row from 2010-2013.Alexey Yakimenko (RUS) followed up on his 2015 gold medal in men's individual sabre with a silver medal in men's team sabre.
Last year’s winning country Germany beat France in the match for the bronze medal with the athletes Nicolas Limbach (GER), Max Hartung (GER), Benedikt Wagner (GER) and Matyas Szabo (GER).
All about World Fencing Championships Moscow 2015
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