Gold medals for Lehis and Yamada

The 2014 Cadet and Junior World Championships continued on Monday, 7^th April, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria with the preliminary stages of the Junior Men’s and Women’s Epée events.  With each event split over two days, thirty-two fencers in each event progressed through to the round of 32 which took place on the following day.

Junior Women’s Epée

A total of 124 entries included Amy Radford who did not win any of her first five first round matches so did not make the cut.

The first semi-final between the World number one, Roberta Marzani (ITA) and the World number five, Katrina Lehis (EST) was level after the first period but the Estonian opened up a two hit lead until towards the end of the final period.  Marzani (ITA) showed her class by drawing level, taking the fight into a priority minute.  Lehis bravely and successfully executed an attack with opposition to win 12-11.  The second semi-final between Reka Bohus (HUN) and Nickol Tal (ISR) also went into a priority minute with the scores tied at 13-13.  Tal launched an attack which Bohus closed out to win 14-13.

In the final, Bohus edged a cagey first period to lead 5-4 at the break.  Staying too close to her opponent, Lehis fell 10-8 behind by the end of the second period.  Needing to change her tactics, Lehis started employing strong beat attacks and leveled at 11-11 before taking the lead 14-13.  It was inevitable that there was one further twist in this fight as Bohus was able to level with a counter attack.  Lehis, the World number five stuck to her plan and executed a perfect beat attack to take the World Championship title.

GB placing: Radford 120^th.

Full results here.

Junior Men’s Epée

There were three British entries in this event as Nicholas Beaumont, Philip Marsh and Paul Sanchez-Lethem joined an enormous field of 167.  Beaumont (V5D1), Marsh V3D2 & Sanchez-Lethem (V5D1) all made the first round cut and received byes through the incomplete round of 256.  Beaumont beat Ilieski (MKD) 15-7 and Sanchez-Lethem defeated D’Amico (CZE) 15-8 to progress through the round of 128 but Fardzinov (RUS) knocked Marsh out 15-13.  In the round of 64 Nguyen (VIE) beat Sanchez-Lethem 15-4 but Beaumont progressed to the second day by beating Mohsen (EGY) 15-9.  In the round of 32 Beaumont faced the eventual bronze medalist, Justin Yoo (USA) and lost 15-9.

The World number four, Daniel Berta (HUN) led the first semi-final over the World number eight, Masaru Yamada (JPN), 8-4 at the first break.  Yamada turned it around in the 2^nd period to lead 11-10 and went on win 15-13.  It was a tight contest in the first period of the second semi-final between Justin Yoo (USA) and Byeungchan Jung (KOR) which ended 5-5.  Yoo kept getting too close to the Korean after the break and Jung went on to win 15-8.

In the final, Jung took an early 2-0 lead but Yamada (JPN) increased his activity dramatically and by the end of the first period the Japanese fencer was 6-2 up.  If anything Yamada increased the pace further and in a thoroughly entertaining display of epée raced to the World Championship title 15-2 in a matter of seconds.

GB placings: Beaumont 23^rd, Sanchez-Lethem 40^th & Marsh 81^st.

Full results here.

The Junior individual events finish tomorrow with the conclusion of the Men’s Foil and Women’s Sabre competitions.