Ukrainian Sabre Fencer Olha Kharlan Wins "Gold" at World Cup Stage in Peru

Ukrainian Olga Harlan won the first gold medal of this season's World Cup in sabre fencing on the night of 11 February at the second stage of the competition, which is taking place in the Peruvian capital Lima. 

This was reported by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.

"The individual championship at the Women's Sabre Fencing World Cup in Lima ended with a brilliant victory for Ukrainian Olha Harlan. The gold medal won by our titled sabre fencer in the Peruvian capital was her 14th top-level award and 31st overall at competitions of this level," the statement said.

In the 1/8 finals, the Ukrainian won the fight against Frenchwoman Sarah Nutcha (15:12), in the quarter-finals she knocked out the current world champion, Hungarian Lisa Pustai (15:11), and in the semifinals she defeated American Elizabeth Tartakovsky (15:1).

The decisive fight between 33-year-old Olga Harlan and Hungarian sabre fencer Sugar Katinka Battai was a repeat of last year's World Cup final in Athens, but unlike in March 2023, it ended with a convincing victory for the Ukrainian representative (15:6).

The stage in Lima was the second of this season's World Cup in sabre fencing. At the opening stage in Algeria, Harlan won a silver medal, which became her 30th at this level.

A total of five sabre fencers from Ukraine entered the second stage of the competition. Yelyzaveta Melnychuk failed to reach the main round, Olena Kravatska was eliminated in the 1/32 finals, and Alina Komashchuk and Yulia Bakastova were defeated in the 1/16 finals. Olga Harlan, on the other hand, reached the final and won gold.