For the first time in Central Asia, Uzbekistan became a host of the Fencing World Cup on the sabre among teenage girls. On November 17-18, the singles and team competitions were held in Tashkent, at the Republican Sports School of Olympic Reserves specialized in gymnastics.
The tournament was attended by 53 athletes from 14 countries. Uzbekistan’s national team participated with 13 fencers and Russia – with 12 athletes.
On the first day, athletes competed in singles. Uzbek athletes did not achieve success. The gold medal was awarded to Bulgarian athlete Yoana Iliyeva and 2-6 places were occupied by the Russian fencers. Among the participants of Uzbek national team, Zaynab Dayibekova recorded the best result and took the 9th place. She was the only host in the top ten. It is worth noting that 6 out of 8 best scoring places ranging from 14 to 32 points were occupied by Russian fencers.
On November 18, the team competitions broke out. The Uzbek national team reached the finals of World Cup for the first time in their history. Uzbek girls Zaynab Dayibekova, Sevinch Ismailova, Shakhnoza Togaymurodova and Oysuluv Usnaddinova defeated the Moldovans at the quarter-finals and the Germans at the semifinals. At the final, the hosts competed with the Russian contenders. However, the Uzbek fencers lost the match by 38:45 scores and gained a silver medal.
For information, the World Cup has been organized by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) annually in three directions (foil, epee, sabre) since 1982.
