London 2012 Wheelchair Fencing: What to Watch

Hungarian legend Pal Szekeres will aim to better his bronze from Beijing in the men’s Foil B, but will face tough battles against Ukraine’s world champion Anton Datsko and France’s Maxime Valet.

Here's a quick rundown to help you plan what to watch at the Wheelchair Fencing competition at the London 2012 Paralympic Games so you can plan your schedules accordingly.

Tuesday 4 September

The first day of competition will see individual athletes fight it out for victory in the Foil event. Hong Kong’s Chan Yui Chong will hope for a repeat of her gold medal in the women’s Foil B, but will face stiff competition from a very strong Chinese team, including world champion Zhou Jing Jing.

Chong’s teammate and world champion Yu Chui Yee will want to better her silver medal from Beijing in the Foil A, with her strongest contender being Hungary’s Zsuzsa Krajnyak.

Hungarian legend Pal Szekeres will aim to better his bronze from Beijing in the men’s Foil B, but will face tough battles against Ukraine’s world champion Anton Datsko and France’s Maxime Valet. Chinese athletes will likely have a surprisesting too.

In category A, world champion and Beijing gold-medallist Ye Ru Yi of China will face his toughest threat in Italy’s tough Tuscany native Matteo Betti in the men’s event.

Wednesday 5 September

Chong will likely be centre of attention again, as fencers compete in the Epee B event. Her toughest competition will come from world champion Saysune Jana of Thailand, Poland’s Maria Markowska and Hungary’s Gyongy Dani.

Yu, Krajnyak and Belarus world champion Aliona Halkina will likely dominate the women’s Epee A, with Chinese athletes packing some surprises.

China’s world champion Tian Jian Quan will want to hold onto his Beijing gold medal, with France’s Romanin Noble and Poland’s Darkusz Pender also top contenders in the men’s Epee A. World champion Chung Ting Ching of Hong Kong and France’s Valet are ones to watch for in the men’s B event.

Thursday 6 September

The men’s Sabre competition will likely see France’s Romanin Noble and Hong Kong’s Chan Wing Kan fight it out for the top spot in the A category, and Ukraine’s Anton Datsko and Russia’s Alexander Kurzin in the B event.

Friday 7 September

The day is filled by the women’s team events, which have made a comeback to the Paralympic programme, after not featuring in Beijing. Hong Kong dominated the women’s Team events in Athens and will hope to continue that in London with Hungary being their toughest opponent on the piste.

Saturday 8 September

In the men’s team events, France and Italy should not be overlooked as Hong Kong and China will likely thrash it out for the top spot on the final day of the Wheelchair Fencing competition.