Zsuzsanna Krajnyak already ranks as one of the great female wheelchair fencers, even with an entire load of victories potentially still ahead of her.
A well-known sporting figure in her native Hungary, Krajnyak is an experienced competitor having taken part in four Paralympic Games and taken medals home from three of them.
At her first Games in Sydney in 2000, Krajnyak won bronze medals in both the category A epee and foil disciplines.
This achievement was very nearly repeated four years later at Athens 2004, with Krajnyak winning bronze with the epee before narrowly losing the bronze-medal match in the foil competition to Patricia Picot of France. However, there was to be another medal, with Krajnyak part of the Hungarian lineup that won silver in both the women’s team epee and foil events.
Beijing 2008 was the only Paralympic Games in her career where Krajnyak has not made the podium, missing out by the narrowest of margins in a 15-14 defeat to Hong Kong’s Fan Pui Shan in the category A epee bronze-medal match.
In the lead-up to London 2012 Krajnyak looked in imperious form. In the 2011 European Championships held in Sheffield, Great Britain, she took home an incredible four gold medals across individual and team competition.
At the Games in London, this form looked set to continue with Krajnyak’s performances as strong as ever, but a 15-6 to loss Hong Kong’s Yu Chui Yee in the final of the category epee discipline meant that a first gold medal remained out of reach.
In the epee event, a win over compatriot Veronika Juhasz secured a bronze medal for Krajnyak with the two then joining Dani Gyongi to form the team that won silver in the women’s team open event.
Krajnyak has previously said that despite her long career in the sport she still loves the buzz of competition. The consistently strong results are not achieved easily however, and she admits that it is the support of her family and coaches that help keep her mentally strong through a tough training regime that involves training sessions of between two and three hours at least once, and often twice, per day.
The Hungarian star’s success extends beyond the piste as well. She is active in a number of initiatives to support people with impairments and has been recognised by the Hungarian Olympic Committee for special services to Paralympic sport.
Whatever happens at Rio 2016, Krajnyak can look back on a phenomenal career in wheelchair fencing. One senses, however, that her desire to crown these achievements with that elusive gold medal at the Paralympic Games is stronger than ever.
