Seoul hosts second Sabre Grand Prix of the season

The senior international season continued at the weekend with the second sabre Grand Prix in South Korea.

Women’s Sabre – Seoul

Katherine Kempe was Great Britain’s sole representative in a field of one hundred and twenty-three fencers in the women’s event in Seoul.  An impressive first round performance saw her win five of her six first round fights which earned her a bye straight into the round of 64 on day two of the event.  There she faced Berder of France and was beaten 15-7, by the eventual quarter-finalist.

Olga Kharlan (UKR) took the gold medal beating Ibtihaj Muhammad (USA) 15-9 in the final.  Sofya Velikaya (RUS) and Mariel Zagunis (USA) completed the podium.

GB individual placings:  Kempe 45^th.

Click here for full results.

Men’s Sabre – Seoul

A field of one hundred and forty-two fencers included Soji Aiyenuro, Alex Crutchett, Curtis Miller, James Honeybone, Brynmor Saunders and Jonathan Webb from Great Britain.  Crutchett (V3D3), Honeybone (V4D2), Miller (V3D3), Saunders (V4D1) and Webb (V3D3) all progressed to the knockout stages but Aiyenuro (V1D4) did not.  Honeybone, Miller and Saunders all received byes through the first of the two-stage elimination round and were joined by Crutchett who defeated S.Y. Lee (KOR) 15-14.  Ibragimov (KAZ) knocked out Webb 15-10 though.  Crutchett and Honeybone progressed to the round of 64 beating Trushakov (RUS) 15-14 and Chen (CHN) 15-9, respectively.  Meanwhile, Iliasz (HUN) beat Saunders 15-5 and Pakdaman (IRI) defeated Miller 15-13.  Neither of the remaining British fencers progressed any further as Szalgyi (HUN) defeated Crutchett 15-11 and J. Kim (KOR) beat Honeybone 15-10, in the round of 64.

Nicolas Liimbach (GER) beat Nicolas Rousset (FRA) 15-8 in the gold medal match as Daryl Homer (USA) and Kamil Ibragimov (RUS) had to settle for bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Honeybone 46^th, Curtchett 60^th, Saunders 70^th, Miller 91^st, Webb 98^th & Aiyenuro 124^th.

Click here for full results.

The 2014/15 senior season continues at the beginning of May with a World Cups in all six weapons in Paris (men’s epee), Johannesburg (women’s epee), St Petersburg (men’s foil), Taurberbischofsheim (women’s foil), Madrid (men’s sabre) and Beijing (women’s sabre).