The Ukrainian fencing team held an open training session on October 27, as it prepared for qualifiers for the Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The session’s guest of honor was president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Serhii Bubka, who shared his experience and motivation with the fencers and tried to persuade female epee team that a strong belief in themselves could allow athletes to bring unseen internal resources to the fight. Those present included Olympic champions Olha Kharlan and Yana Shemiakina. “We are proud of the achievements of our team,” Bubka noted. “Kharlan and Shemiakina are heroines of our sport, and youths emulate them. I am sure our young generation will continue the glorious traditions of Ukrainian fencers.” “The president is once again motivating us with his life stories, and I will try to comply with all the advice that he gave us today,” Kharlan responded. “I hope we will meet more frequently during training sessions this year.”
“Our plan of preparations for the Olympic Games, which we outlined at the beginning of the season, is being systematically carried out,” said Vadym Guttsait, vice president of the Fencing Federation of Ukraine. “We are in a fighting mood as always. The girls intend to fight to win. An Olympic medal is the best thing that could happen to us. Of course, I would like to see a gold medal, a repeat of the success that was in 2008 and 2012... But then, any medal won at the Olympics is a great honor.”
Let us recall that the Ukrainian team won three medals at the most recent World Fencing Championships, which was held in Moscow: epee fencers Anatolii Herei, Dmytro Kariuchenko, Maksym Khvorost, and Bohdan Nikishyn brought home a gold medal, sabreuses Olha Kharlan, Olena Voronina, Alina Komashchuk, and Olena Kravatska won a silver, and a bronze went to Yana Shemiakina, Ksenia Pantelieieva, Olena Kryvytska, and Anfisa Pochkalova.
