Russia’s Konstantin Lokhanov, Frances’s Aliya Bayram Kick-Off Junior Teen Fencing Action in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
PLOVDIV, Bulgaria, April 5, 2017—In the first day of junior fencing at the 2017 Junior & Cadet World Fencing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 146 men and 154 women competed in individual sabre and epee events. Russia’s Konstantin Lokhanov and France’s Aliya Bayram took home gold tonight, the fifth day of fencing at the Championships overall, with cadet fencing finishing the previous evening.
Lokhanov, 18, defeated China’s Yang Lu, 19, in the final round with a score of 15-11. Prior to the final, the Russian teen scored two powerful victories, winning the semi-final against USA’s Karol Metryka, 15-8, and the quarter-final against Yousef Alshamlan, 15-8, who fenced under the FIE flag. Notably, Lu, the Chinese silver medallist, had a very close and spirited match in the quarter-finals against Germany’s Lorenz Kempf, winning 15-14 by a single touch.
France’s 17-year-old Aliya Bayram had a very successful and strong day of fencing. She faced USA’s 19-year-old Catherine Nixon in the final round of Junior Women’s Epee, overtaking the American 15-9. Bayram beat Italy’s Federica Isola in the semi-final match, 15-10, and prior to that took out Romania’s Alexandra Predescu, 15-11. Coming out of the competition, Bayram is ranked 82nd in the FIE.
Top-eight finalists in Junior Men’s Sabre included Konstantin Lokhanov (RUS, gold), Yang Lu (CHN, silver), Dario Cavaliere (ITA, bronze), Karol Metryka (USA, bronze), Lorenz Kempf (GER), Yousef Alshamlan (FIE), William Deary (GBR), and Benjamin Natanzon (USA).
In Junior Women’s Epee, the final eight included Aliya Bayram (FRA, gold), Catherine Nixon (USA, silver), Nuo Xu (CHN, bronze), Federica Isola (ITA, bronze), Beatrice Cagnin (ITA), Alexandra Predescu (ROU), Giana Vierheller (USA), and Emma Poghosova (ARM).
The competition is being held on the Plovdiv International Fairgrounds, home to numerous sporting events in this ancient city. In all, 19 events will be fenced here over 10 days. The cadet competitors are younger than the juniors, and for many of both groups this is the first opportunity to compete in a major world event. Full results from Plovdiv may be found here and full information about the Championships may be found on the official event website.