SALT LAKE CITY, USA, Dec. 13-15, 2019—Ukraine’s four-time world champion Olga Kharlan scored the individual gold medal at the Absolute Fencing Gear Women’s Sabre World Cup in Salt Lake City, with France taking the gold in the women’s team event. Held at the Salt Palace Convention Center, the competition drew 185 women’s sabre fencers and 25 teams from around the world.
Kharlan faced China’s Jiarui Qian in the final round, winning with a 15-9 score. Qian defeated Korea’s Jiyeon Seo by one point in the semifinal, 15-14, and Kharlan beat France’s Manon Brunet, 15-9. Two-time Russian world champion Sofya Velikaya lost in the round of 16 to France’s Sarah Noutcha, 15-13, while Ukraine’s Alina Komashchuk beat Russian world champion Sofia Pozdniakova, 15-12, and Kharlan defeated USA’s two-time Olympic and world champion Mariel Zagunis, 15-9.
In the women’s team sabre event, France overcame Hungary for the gold medal, 45-25. Hungary eliminated Ukraine in the semifinal, 45-42, and France beat USA, 45-31. The bronze medal went to USA over Ukraine, 45-39.
Final individual ranking for the Absolute Fencing Gear Women’s Sabre World Cup included Olga Kharlan (UKR, gold), Jiarui Qian (CHN, silver), Manon Brunet (FRA, bronze), Jiyeon Seo (KOR, bronze), Misaki Emura (JPN), Alina Komashchuk (UKR), Anna Limbach (GER) and Sarah Noutcha (FRA).
Team ranking included France (gold), Hungary (silver), USA (bronze), Ukraine, Italy, Korea, China and Russia.
Complete and official results for the event may be found here on the FIE web site. For more exciting world fencing news and features on the Road to Tokyo, check out the FIE video series on our YouTube channel.