Russian Paralympians Win 5 Medals at Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Turkey

From June 17 to 19, the Wheelchair Fencing World Championships for athletes under 23 years old were held in Mersin (Turkey) as part of the World Youth Paralympic Games.

The championships awarded medals in individual events in foil, épée, and sabre for both junior men and women. For the first time at this tournament, medals were awarded separately for athletes in categories A and B.

Russian athletes competed in Category A and, based on the results of the competition, won 5 medals – 1 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze.

Vadim Shenfeld (Novosibirsk Region) won a gold medal in épée and a silver medal in foil.

Ilya Chernyshov (Novosibirsk Region) became a silver medalist in sabre and a bronze medalist in foil.

Victoria Tikhonova (Moscow) – bronze medalist in épée.

In the overall medal standings of the individual competition, Russian wheelchair fencers placed fourth. The winner was the Chinese team (5 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals). Second place went to the Thai team (2 gold, 1 silver, and 6 bronze medals), and third place to the Hungarian team (2 gold and 2 bronze medals).

The Russian Paralympic Committee congratulates the athletes and coaches on their well-deserved awards and wishes them continued success in future competitions!

Based on materials from the Association of Paralympic Fencing.

Wheelchair fencing is a Paralympic sport. It was included in the program of the I Summer Paralympic Games in 1960 in Rome (Italy). Competitions are open to men and women with amputations, spinal cord injuries, and cerebral palsy. Athletes fence while seated in securely fastened wheelchairs at arm's length, using weapons (foil, sabre, or épée). A touch to the valid target area scores a point, and hits are registered using electronic equipment. Unlike foil and sabre, in épée bouts all hits are counted. Judging in Paralympic fencing follows the rules of the International Fencing Federation.