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Women’s saber team wins first gold for Ukraine at Paris Olympics

Ukraine clinches first gold medal at Paris Olympics in women’s team saber fencing, defeating South Korea 45-42. Olha Kharlan, individual bronze medalist, scores 22 points.
Ukrainian women’s sabre fencing team at Paris Olympics. Photo: Facebook/Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee.
Women’s saber team wins first gold for Ukraine at Paris Olympics

Ukraine has secured its first gold medal of the Paris Olympics in the women’s team saber fencing event, defeating South Korea 45-42 in a final on 3 August 2024. The Ukrainian team, which comprised Olena Kravatska, Yuliia Bakastova, Alina Komashchuk and individual bronze medalist Olha Kharlan, made a remarkable comeback from six points down to clinch victory.

According to RFE/RL, Kharlan played a crucial role in the final, contributing 22 points to the team’s success. The Associated Press says that Kharlan entered the final leg of the bout with her team trailing 40-37 and went on an impressive 8-2 run to secure the win.

women's saber team wins first gold ukraine paris olympics ukrainian fencer olha kharlan celebrates after winning fencing screenshot suspilne
Ukrainian fencer Olha Kharlan celebrates after winning the women’s team saber fencing gold at the Paris Olympics. Screenshot: Suspilne.

South Korea claimed the silver medal, while Japan took bronze after defeating France 45-40.

This gold medal adds to Ukraine’s Olympic tally, which previously included a silver in shooting from Serhii Kulish and Kharlan’s individual bronze in the women’s saber competition on 29 July.

The victory holds particular significance for Kharlan, coming a year after her disqualification at the world championships for refusing to shake hands with a Russian fencer. That incident had briefly jeopardized her Olympic qualification and highlighted the ongoing tensions surrounding Russian athletes’ participation in international competitions following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This gold medal marks Kharlan’s sixth Olympic medal in a career spanning five Olympics. Her Olympic journey began with a gold in the women’s team saber event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she was just 17 years old.

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