Hungary dominate wheelchair fencing World Cup

Zsuzsanna Krajnyak was the star of the show as Hungary excelled on home soil in Eger, winning four titles. 26 Nov 2014 By Michael Stuart | for the IPC

Experienced Hungarian star Zsuzsanna Krajnyak regained her No. 1 ranking from Hong Kong's Yui Chui Yee by taking the women's category A foil title at the 2014 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Eger, Hungary, between 20-23 November.

Krajnyak also won an epee event for the first time in over a year and was instrumental in the women's category foil team event, inspiring a dominant Hungarian team to victory against Italy in front of their home crowd.

There was joy for the home supporters in the men's category A foil event too, with Richard Osvath winning gold.

With nearest rival, Wing Kin Chan of Hong Kong, failing to make it past the quarter-finals, Osvath repeated Krajnyak's achievement to retake world No.1 status.

The Great British team also left Eger pleased with their results. Piers Gilliver was again their star, proving his victory at the recent Grand Prix event in Warsaw, Poland, was no fluke by winning the category A epee event.

Gilliver beat Polish world No.1 Dariusz Pender 15-11 in the semi-final before defeating Russia's Artur Yusupov by the same score to win gold.

In the women's category A epee event, Great Britain's Gemma Collis posed Krajnyak's toughest challenge of the day. Collis lost by just one point in the semi-final but made it onto the podium for the second time this year by finishing joint third.

In the men's category A sabre event, France's Romain Noble showed the skill that has seen him win four out of the five titles he has contested this year. Noble beat compatriot Robert Citerne in the final before the pair combined to lead France to victory in the men's team sabre competition.

And Italy's Beatrice Vio, who made it into the IPC’s Top 50 Moments, was in imperious form in the women's category B foil event and never dropped more than six points in a match on her way to the title.

In the equivalent epee event, Germany’s Simone Briese-Baetke won 15-8 against Russia’s Irina Mishurova to claim her sixth gold medal of the year.

The wheelchair fencing season will come to a close at the 2014 IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Grand Prix, in Hong Kong, China, between 17-21 December.

For more information, visit the IWAS website.