Turkish fencing sees many firsts in 1 and half years

By Omer Hakan Kibar

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish national fencing team, which have bagged 20 medals in the international competitions during the last one and half years, renewed hope to participate in Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Since Murat Atali, head of the Turkish Fencing Federation, took the post on April 10, 2015, national athletes have seen many firsts in the championships they participated.

The achievements began with the junior sabre world cup held in Hungarian capital Budapest in January 2017. The Turkish team consisting of Ibrahim Ahmed Acar, Mehmet Fatih Ant, Alp Ege Koc, Aylin Cakir, Fatma Zehra Kose and Deniz Selin Unludag clinched bronze medal.

Last year in February, national fencer Martino Minuto, 30, won silver medal in satellite tournament in Spanish city of Barcelona.

Continuing to bag medals every month successively, the Turkish fencing witnessed a historic success in March 2017.

Ahmed Ibrahim Acar, 18, who bagged the gold medal in the European Stars Fencing Championship in Bulgaria, brought first European Championship title to Turkey in the 95-year-old fencing history of the country.

In April of the same year, Acar also bagged a gold medal in Bulgaria that gained him the title of the first world champion in the history of Turkish fencing.

Also in April, Turkish women’s sabre national team won the first medal in the history of the U23 (Under 23) European Championships.

In total, Turkish athletes won six gold, a silver and four bronze medals in 2017.

- Achievements continue in 2018

Deniz Selin Unludag, 17, is the first Turkish female fencer to bring home the gold from the Junior and Cadet European Fencing Championships held in March 2018 competition in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Turkey was again honored by Aylin Cakir, 17, who took home the bronze medal from the same championship.

Since 2018, national athletes won three gold and six bronze medals in the international contests.

- European Fencing Championships 2018

The Turkish sportspeople have failed to receive any medals in the European Championship held in Serbia’s Novi Sad city on Wednesday.

However, Irem Karamete, ranked 12th in the women foil category, which is the best achievement in Turkish women fencing history.

Martino Munito took the 14th place in the men’s foil.

Turkish athletes also competed in women’s team foil category and came 10th with the team that included Deniz Selin Unludag, Iryna Shchukla, Aylin Cakir and Fatma Zehra Kose.

- World ranking

Turkish national fencer Martino Minuto claimed the 35th place in the world ranking with a total of 43 points, which is the best ranking for the country until now.

Enver Yildirim also clinched a total of 28 points in the men’s sabre category, putting him in 54th place.

In the women’s sabre, Iryna Shchukla scored 27.5 points, while Irem Karamete scored 24.5 points in the women’s foil category and ranked 65 in the world.

The scores earned after the successive achievements increased the hopes of the nationals to join the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

In 2016, Irem Karamete participated in the Rio Olympic Games in the women’s foil category. This was the first time for a Turkish fencer to qualify for participation in the Olympics.