Apithy and Velikaya win final golds of FIE 2018/19 Grand Prix series in Moscow

Apithy overcame USA’s Eli Dershwitz to win the men’s sabre event and Velikaya beat China’s Yaqi Shao to take out the women’s event.

Moscow’s Arena CSKA was the setting for the ninth and final Grand Prix of the FIE’s 2018-2019 season nine-event series, which featured 347 international men’s and women’s fencers

Apithy faced the American and number-one ranked Dershwitz in the final match of men’s individual sabre event, and looked in impressive form by winning with a 15-10 scoreline.

Apithy was made to work hard for this success, beating two Russians Konstantin Lokhanov 15-12 and Kamil Ibragimov 15-13 at the last 16 and quarter-final stages respectively, before progressing to the Final with victory over Germany’s Max Hartung, 15-13, in the semi-finals.

Dershwitz defeated reigning Korean world champion Junghwan Kim, 15-13, in the quarter-finals and overcame Italy’s Luca Curatoli in the semi-finals, 15-12. Curatoli had earlier eliminated his teammate and Olympic gold medallist and world champion Aldo Montano at the last 16 stage, with a 15-8 victory.

In the women’s individual sabre, the top-ranked Russian two-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medallist Sofya Velikaya gave the home fans something to smile about by securing the gold medal. She eased to victory over Shao from China, winning 15-8 to secure her fourth Moscow Sabre Grand Prix title.

Velikaya defeated her teammate and reigning world champion, Sofia Pozdniakova, 15-13 in the semi-finals, this coming after also beating Italy’s Irene Vecchi in the last 16, 15-7, and China’s Jiarui Qian in the quarter-finals, 15-9.

Shao beat Hungary’s Liza Pusztai, 15-9, in the semi-finals, after beating Ukrainian three-time world champion Olga Kharlan, 15-12, in the quarter-finals.

Another casualty in the last eight was Russian Olympic gold medallist Yana Egorian who lost to Pozdniakova by a single touch, 15-14.