Ukrainian Fencer Wins First Career Gold Medal
A 17-year-old Ukrainian fencer has won her first career gold medal. Anna Maksymenko secured the victory at the Budapest Epee Grand Prix on March 16.
This is a big deal for Ukraine. It’s their first Grand Prix victory in fencing since 2020. At that time, Olha Kharlan won gold in saber in Montreal.
Maksymenko faced strong competition from other top fencers. In the semifinals, she beat Canada’s Leonora MacKinnon 15:9. Then, in the final, she went up against Italy’s Giulia Rizzi, a Paris 2024 Olympic team champion.
The final match was close and exciting. Maksymenko trailed 9:11 with just 30 seconds left to go. But she came back strong and executed a decisive counterattack. She won the gold medal by defeating Rizzi 12:11.
This is a big win for Maksymenko. It’s her first individual Grand Prix medal. She had previously won silver in a team event at the World Cup level.
Other Ukrainian athletes have also been doing well recently. On March 9, Yaroslava Mahuchikh claimed the gold medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.
