Zou shocks at wheelchair fencing worlds

After not competing in any major competitions in 2014, Thailand’s Sayunsee Jana returned to successfully defend her World Championships title in the women’s category B epee.

China’s Xu Feng Zou burst onto the top of the podium at the 2015 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Eger, Hungary, on Friday (19 September), with a sensational win over her world champion compatriot Jing Rong.

The opening day’s fencing was dedicated to the category A and B epee events, with Zou causing a shock by winning gold in the women’s category A epee discipline.

Ranked No.22 in the world, Zhou made surprisingly light work of her opponents throughout the rounds, never dropping more than eight points.

Zou followed a 15-5 win over Russia’s World No.1 Yuliya Efimova in the semi-final with a 15-7 victory over Rong to take the title.

Poland’s Marta Fidrych shared third place with Efimova. Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Krajnyak finished fifth.

Krajnyak will now have to focus on Saturday’s (19 September) foil event if she is to win an individual medal in front of her home crowd.

After not competing in any major competitions in 2014, Thailand’s Sayunsee Jana returned to successfully defend her World Championships title in the women’s category B epee.

Jana defeated Hong Kong’s Yui Chong Chan 15-5 in the semi-final before a 15-8 win over Russia’s World No.3 Viktoria Boykova secured the gold. China’s Jingjing Zhou finished in joint third place alongside Chan.

A fiercely contested men’s category A epee event came down to just one point as China’s Gang Sun defeated Great Britain’s Piers Gilliver 15-14 in the final.

Sun was a favourite going into the Championships having won both the epee and foil titles at the World Cup in Warsaw in July.

Third place was shared by China’s previous world champion Jianquan Tian, who was beaten 15-5 by Gilliver in the semi-final, and Russia’s Maxim Shaburov.

Iraq’s Ali Amar was never troubled as he cruised to the title in the men’s category B epee event.

A silver medallist at the 2013 World Championships, Amar looked comfortable as he defeated Belarusian Andrei Pranevich 15-5 in the semi-final. He carried this form into the final, where he was always in control as he beat China’s Daoliang Hu 15-7.

Saturday (19 September) sees fencers in the men’s and women’s category A and B foil disciplines take to the piste.

To follow the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Eger, visit the IWAS’s Facebook page.