Fencing at the Olympic Games. Golden sabers and rusty swords: Russian fencers leave Rio Olympic Games fencing results

RIO DE JANEIRO, August 15 - R-Sport, Anatoly Samokhvalov. The Russian fencing team stood up for almost the entire country in the first half, regularly replenishing the team's treasury with medals and, above all, gold.

Russian fencers won 7 medals at the Carioca-3 arena olympic park Rio de Janeiro. Four gold medals were won in saber (Yana Egoryan), team saber (Egoryan, Sofia Velikaya, Ekaterina Dyachenko, Yulia Gavrilova), women's foil (Inna Deriglazova), men's team foil (Alexey Cheremisinov, Timur Safin, Artur Akhmatkhuzin); one silver - in the women's saber (Great); two bronze - in the men's foil (Safin) and the women's team epee (Tatyana Logunova, Violetta Kolobova, Lyubov Shutova, Olga Kochneva).

Epee: rehabilitation of women and out of men

The Olympic tournament started unsuccessfully for the Russians. The epee fencers lost in the first bouts: Tatyana Logunova to Japanese Nozomi Sato (14:15), Lyubov Shutova to Kung Man Wai Vivian from Hong Kong (10:15), and team leader Violetta Kolobova to Choi Injeong from South Korea(12:15). Emese Szasz from Hungary won gold, Rossella Fiamingo from Italy won silver, and Sun Yiwen from China won bronze.

A week later, the fencers were rehabilitated by winning bronze in team competitions. The quarterfinal battle Russia (Logunova, Shutova, Kolobova) - France (44:41) became the longest at this stage. The Russians caught up with their rivals until the very end, and in the last match Kolobova won back the gap of two shots against Lauren Remby and took the lead. In the last 10 seconds, the fight was stopped every second, as the Frenchwoman flew into Kolobova, saving the situation, but the Russians reached the semifinals.

In the semi-finals, the domestic athletes lost to the future Olympic champions from Romania (31:45), and in the match for third place they beat the Estonia team (37:31). At the end of the match, Olga Kochneva made her Olympic debut on the track, replacing Tatyana Logunova.

© Ruptly

“Now, of course, I’m happy with bronze, because for us it’s like gold. Naturally, we came here for gold, but tactically we made a colossal number of mistakes (in the semifinals with the Romanians),” said Kolobova, who played main role in victory. 36-year-old Logunova noted that she is not retiring from her career and will continue to fencing at least next season. Silver medals in team epee went to the Chinese.

Russian epee fencers did not achieve success either in the individual competition or in the individual competition. Pavel Sukhov was eliminated in the 1/16 finals, Anton Avdeev and Vadim Anokhin in the 1/8. The champion in the individual competition was Park Sang-yeon from South Korea, Hungarian Geza Imre won silver, and Gaultier Grumier won bronze.

The same Russian trio lost to the world champions from Ukraine in the first round of the team competition on the last day of the Olympic fencing tournament. The meeting was held on equal terms until the penultimate fight, when Sukhov failed the fight against Anatoly Gerey (6:13). The result is 45:32 in favor of the Ukrainians.

After this meeting, the Russians were heartbroken and refused to comment; their colleague in arms Kochneva reported for them. “They must mobilize, because a tremendous amount of work has been done. Everything will be fine, we will root for them with all our hearts,” said the bronze medalist of the 2016 Games. Gold in team epee was won by the French, who defeated the Italians in the final with a score of 45:31. Bronze for the Hungarians, who defeated the Ukrainians.

Rapier: a rubicon, after which life seems different

In the men's foil, bronze in the individual competition was won by Timur Safin, who in his first fight defeated compatriot Alexey Cheremisinov (15:10), and in the fight for third place - Richard Kruse from Great Britain. Arthur Akhmatkhuzin dropped out at the 1/8 final stage, losing to the American Alexander Massialas, who later became the silver medalist of the 2016 Olympic Games. Italian Daniele Garozzo took gold.

Cheremisinov, Safin and Akhmatkhuzin later became Olympic champions in the team event. With serious difficulty, this trio made it past the quarterfinals, beating the British team with a score of 45:43 a minute before time expired. In general, the guys successfully dealt with four Britons - Kruse, Safin's opponent in the fight for bronze, was not at all in shape and was replaced, but James-Andrew Davis initially defeated both Safin and Akhmatkhuzin in head-to-head matches, but in the final fight Cheremisinov still kept the winning score.

In the semifinals, the US team was defeated with a score of 45:41. The Russians clearly could not cope with Miles Chamley-Watson, but individual silver medalist Alexander Massialas failed all three fights, and in the last of them Cheremisinov had practically no problems.

In the final, the Russian team defeated the French (45:41). “This is such a Rubicon, after which I will try to look at this life differently,” 31-year-old Cheremisinov said afterward. “All three difficult matches, all were won largely on character. There were a lot of technical and tactical mistakes, but the guys showed that they are real warriors and fighters, and this is the most important thing at the Olympics,” summed up Main coach Russian national team Ilgar Mamedov. The fourth Russian reserve, Dmitry Zherebchenko, did not appear on the track in the final and, according to the regulations, did not receive a medal. Bronze went to the Americans, who defeated the Italians in the battle for third place (45:31).

Golden Kurchatov School

The women's foil competition was won by Inna Deriglazova, who defeated her compatriot Aida Shanaeva (15:3) in the semi-finals. "Most tough fight“I was with Aida at the Olympics,” said Deriglazova, who thought about quitting fencing during the recent European Championships, when she lost to another Aida, Hungarian Mohamed. In Rio they met each other again, and Deriglazova left no chance for Mohamed ( 15:6). In the decisive match, the representative of the Kurchatov fencing school was stronger than the then-current Olympic champion Elisa di Francischi from Italy (12:11). From the outside it seemed that Deriglazova wanted to pierce her opponent. “No, probably the blade was just deformed. and that's why it seemed so. I didn't change it. This is my golden rapier, I started with it and finished with it,” said the champion.

Ines Boubakri from Tunisia won bronze in this type of program, to whom Shanaeva lost.

Saber: Great at last with gold

The Olympic champion in women's saber was Yana Yegoryan, who beat London silver medalist Sophia Velikaya in the final with a minimum score of 15:14. “In fact, at that moment when everything was ending, when the scoreboard read 14:14 and Yana and I went at each other, I wanted to scream in victory. I took a risk, made a phase, but saw a flashlight. Not mine. One. Questions there are no more left,” stated Velikaya, who lost the final for the second time in a row.

“I’m happy. I tried, I worked,” Yegoryan stammered after the award ceremony. “Apparently, the training was not in vain. It’s unimaginable. Pictures, pictures of life before my eyes are now like in a movie. This is not only my medal, but also Sonina’s (Sophia the Great) ), we trained together. Katya (Dyachenko), Yulia (Gavrilova) - this is our common medal." By the will of the tournament bracket, Yegoryan had to eliminate Dyachenko at the quarterfinal stage just after Dyachenko defeated two-time Olympic champion from the United States Mariel Zagunis. Ukrainian Olga Kharlan took bronze.

In the team saber, the Russians entered the track as clear favorites; they easily beat the Mexicans (45:31, 1/4 finals) with the exception of the moment when Velikaya was relaxed in the last match, when she allowed Julieta Toledo to make more than a dozen accurate shots. In the semi-finals, Yegoryan, Velikaya and Dyachenko confidently broke away from the Americans, then created problems for themselves, but in the decisive battle, Yegoryan dotted Zagunis (45:42). At the same time, Kharlan pulled the Ukrainian team into the finals, sending the Italians to get bronze.

In the final, Dyachenko was replaced by Yulia Gavrilova, and she confidently dealt with Kharlan herself in her first fight (5:2). Result - 45:30 - the fourth gold in fencing went to Russia. "We dedicated our victory to everyone Russian athletes who couldn’t come to this Olympics,” said Velikaya. August 14, 2016, 03:16

Psychological breakdown

In the men's tournament current champion world champion Alexey Yakimenko lost in the first fight to the Bulgarian Pancho Paskov, who was eliminated in the next round after losing with a score of 6:15. “I broke down psychologically,” was all Yakimenko could say as he left the arena. Nikolay Kovalev, after victories over the Hungarian Tamas Deci (15:10) and the legendary Italian Aldo Montano (15:13), lost to the Korean Kim Jonghwan (10:15). Olympic gold in this event, Hungarian Aron Szilágyi took silver for the second time in a row, silver from American Deryl Homer, bronze from Kim, Kovalev’s offender.

Team Russia is about those who take real risks.

Silver with bandaged eye

Today's fencing suits reliably protect athletes' bodies from injections. The weapon has become more flexible, and there is a special knob at the tip of the blade. It is impossible to pierce the equipment. But 50-60 years ago, protective equipment was imperfect, and serious incidents on the fencing track were not were rare.

The 1972 Summer Games in Munich were remembered for the “Korbut noose”, three basketball seconds and a terrorist attack in Olympic Village. Almost no one talks about the courageous act of fencer Viktor Sidyak. At that Olympics, he became the first Soviet saber fencer in history to win an individual tournament. From Munich he could bring two gold pieces. The USSR national saber team looked stronger than all its competitors and should have won the team tournament.

In the first round, Soviet saber fencers met with Italy. In one of the battles, the blade of the Italian Michele Maffei hit the protective mesh on Sidyak’s helmet, broke, and a fragment of the saber pierced Victor’s cornea. In Munich, the athlete underwent surgery because German doctors were unable to remove the fragment with a magnet. The patient was advised to rest, but the next day Sidyak entered the final of the team tournament (against the same Italians) with a rewound eye. As the athlete recalled, the eye did not hurt, as the anesthesia was in effect, but it was inconvenient to fencing with a bandage. As a result, the Soviet team lost the final, remaining with silver.

Three millimeters to the heart

Sidyak will take team gold four years later in Montreal and at the Games in Moscow. The 1980 Olympics will be his last. At that fencing tournament, tragedy almost happened in the team foil tournament. The most terrible cases in fencing occurred when the blade broke and the pommel could no longer protect. And the rapier breaks more often than other types of weapons.

This was the case in the fight between the USSR and Poland national teams at the Moscow Olympics. Vladimir Lapitsky attacked Adam Roebuck and turned around during the move, and the Pole’s foil broke, which he thrust into the Soviet athlete’s back by inertia. The blade hit soft cloth back and came out of the chest. Lapitsky fell onto the path. Fortunately, vital organs were not affected. The broken rapier passed three millimeters from the heart.

The Italians won the team foil tournament at the 1980 Olympics. The USSR national team was second, the Poles took bronze. In addition to silver, Lapitsky received the award “For Courage” from the Komsomol Central Committee, as well as gold medal Games It was given to the athlete by Italians who visited him in the hospital.

The tragedy of Vladimir Smirnov

Vladimir Smirnov was part of that silver foil team at the 1980 Olympics. At that competition he also won gold in the individual competition. Two years later, the most terrible episode in the history of fencing will happen to him. As a member of the USSR national team, he went to the World Championships in Rome.

During a team tournament against Germany, Smirnov met with Matthias Behr: a mutual attack, the opponent’s blade breaks, the stump pierces the mask and enters the left eye socket. Smirnov is taken to the hospital, where he is placed in an induced coma. It was impossible to save the athlete. The blade penetrated 14 centimeters into the brain. Eight days later, Vladimir was disconnected from the devices.

This tragedy led to changes in equipment: the protection of masks was strengthened, blades became more flexible and became less likely to break. The loads on the tip of the rapier and sword have also changed.

Defenseless Spartakiad

Fewer than ten fatalities have been recorded in the history of sports fencing. Most of these cases were in adults. professional level. However, the last such tragedy occurred at a youth tournament.

In 2004, the All-Ukrainian Spartakiad was held in Kharkov. Once again the broken rapier became fatal. The blade entered the body of 17-year-old Evgeniy Prokopyev in the area of ​​the right armpit and came out on the opposite side. It pierced both lungs and several major blood vessels. It was not possible to save the young man.

Prokopyev did not have full equipment according to European standards, in particular a side guard, which should protect against such blows. They say that all athletes competed at these competitions without side guards. After this, if participants were missing any required form element, tournaments began to be cancelled.

Dangerous transparent masks

The equipment of fencers has been modernized over time. But not all new products caught on. In 2010, transparent masks began to appear at competitions. Fencing began to lose its entertainment value and, as one of the consequences, the number of types in Olympic program. The new element of the form was supposed to increase this entertainment. Now fans could see the eyes and emotions of the athletes, and the fencers had increased visibility.

But then the first disadvantages were revealed. When hitting the glass part, not all injections are recorded. In addition, blows to the mask left marks on it, which were very disturbing during the battle. The novelty was finally buried by an incident at the European Junior Championships in Denmark.

In the 1/32 finals of the foil players, Latvian David Gasilovsky met with Italian Francesco Trani. In one of the episodes, the transparent glass on Gasilovsky's mask was broken through by a blade. The fragment caused a wound to the athlete in the mouth area. None serious injuries the Latvian did not receive it - after medical assistance was provided, the meeting was continued, but for the International Fencing Federation this case was enough to return to the classic lattice masks.

Equipment will not save you from bruises

Any modern fencing coach explains to parents who bring their child to the class that a blade can leave at most a bruise on the body, but not pierce in any way. The equipment is completely protective. Each type of weapon has its own types of bruises.

If you stab with a sword, it hurts at one point. Terrible pain! And after the saber strikes, my whole back burns. This is a more pleasant pain, or something. At least the usual one. So I always wondered: how do epee fencers endure such pain? But they don’t understand how to adapt to our sensations,” said “SE” eight-time champion peace Alexey Yakimenko.

The goal of the fencer is to hit the opponent and avoid getting hit himself. Victory is awarded to the one who is the first to inflict a certain number of injections on the opponent in accordance with the rules or inflict more such injections in a set period of time.

Fencers wear white uniforms because, until electronic scoring equipment was invented, hits were imprinted on a white surface by an ink-soaked piece of cotton threaded onto the tip of the weapon.

OLYMPIC GAMES

Fencing has been included in the program of the Olympic Games since 1896 - individual competitions for men on foils and sabers, since 1900 - on epees (in 1904 and on sticks); in 1896 and 1900 professionals (the so-called maestros) took part in the competitions. Played since 1912 team championship on epees and sabers, and from 1920 on rapiers. Since 1924, an individual championship has been held, since 1960 - a team championship among women in foils, since 1996 - an individual and team championship in epee, in 2004 an individual championship was held, and in 2008 a team championship in saber fencing among women.

Record holder for the number won Olympic medals is the Italian fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti, who from 1936 to 1960. won 13 medals at the Olympic Games: 6 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze. Another great fencer, Aladar Gerevich from Hungary, won three less medals, but he has more gold medals - 7. For women, two Italians lead the list of champions - Valentina Vezzali, 5-time Olympic champion, and Giovanna Trillini, who won 4 Olympic gold medals .

RUSSIA

There are many wonderful blade masters in the Soviet Union and Russia, there are many double and triple Olympic champions. But only four fencers hold the title of 4-time Olympic champions. These are foil fencer Elena Belova and saber fencers Viktor Sidyak, Viktor Krovopuskov and Stanislav Pozdnyakov.

Photo - Sergey Kivrin and Andrey Golovanov

The goal of the fencer is to inflict a thrust (punch) on the opponent and avoid a thrust (strike) himself. Victory is awarded to the one who is the first to inflict a certain number of injections (blows) on the opponent in accordance with the rules or inflict more such injections in a set period of time. Modern fencing consists of three disciplines: foil, epee, saber. The length of the sports rapier is 110 cm, its weight is 500 g, the hand of the rapier player is protected by a round guard with a diameter of 12 cm. The length of the sports saber is 105 cm, its weight is 500 g, it is also equipped with a guard, but differs from the rapier in the blade of a trapezoidal variable section. The saber is the only type in sports fencing in which, in addition to thrusts, chopping blows can be delivered. The length of the sports epee is 110 cm, its weight is 770 g, the epee has a flexible blade with a triangular cross-section and a round guard with a diameter of 13.5 cm. Foil fencers are allowed injections only in the torso, epee fencers - in all parts of the body except the back of the head not protected by a mask, saber fencers - injections ( blows) to all parts of the body above the waist. Fights are held on a fencing track 14 m long and 1.8 - 2 m wide.

Athletes perform in protective jackets covered with metallized fabric and masks with a metal mesh and a glove on their armed hand. The thrusts and blows inflicted by the fencers are recorded by lamps on an electrical apparatus. They are fixed on the basis of an electrical circuit passing through the fencer’s weapon and his clothing, connected to the device by a wired system.

Russian fans were especially looking forward to the start of today's fencing competition, because it was on August 13 that the magnificent women's team saber fencer A few days ago, Russian women created a real sensation by adding. Yana Yegoryan became Olympic champion, Sophia the Great- vice-champion, and Ekaterina Dyachenko lost only to the future winner. We only expect victory from such a powerful trio in team competitions, especially since there is only one step left before the final - the Russians simply did not notice the Mexican team on the way to the semifinals.

And on the eve of a bright battle, we figure out why saber fencing is the most dynamic sport, how an epee differs from a rapier, where there are not only red and green, but also white lamps on the track, and also what the judge mutters during breaks between fights.

Traditions carried over to the Olympics

Before understanding the differences between fencing disciplines, it is worth remembering that fencing is a purely applied sport that had practical significance not only in the 19th, but even in the 20th century. In the Soviet Union, for example, until the 1960s there was a sport called carbine fencing - part of a fighter’s preparation for hand-to-hand combat with a weapon in his hands. So talk about Europe at the end of the century before last, where duels were common, and many problems, legal or not, could be solved with the good old saber. The traditions of military, and not only fencing, of course, transferred to Olympic Games. Fencers have been competing for medals since the very first revived Olympics in 1896. And already in 1900, three main disciplines appeared at the Games: fencing with swords, rapiers and sabers.

To stab with a rapier, to chop with a saber

On television, it seems to many that the types of weapons are no different, but this is a misconception. The rapier has a flexible blade with a tetrahedral cross-section and weighs up to 500 grams. Blows, that is, injections, can only be applied with the tip of the blade. The sword is very similar to the rapier, but is somewhat heavier (up to 750 grams), has a stiffer blade with a triangular cross-section and a guard with a larger diameter to protect the athlete’s hand from a thrust from an opponent. But a saber differs greatly from a rapier and a sword: it can deliver not only piercing blows, but also more effective slashing blows. Therefore, the guard has an oval shape and an additional bracket that protects the fingers, and saber fights become faster and more spectacular.

The fencers are almost like they're in a duel

The second main difference in the types of fencing is the hitting zone in which thrusts and strikes are counted. According to tradition, it is believed that the saber is the weapon of horsemen who strike top part opponent's torso. This principle was carried over to sport fencing: everything that is above the opponent’s waist (except for the hands) is the target for the saber fencer’s strikes and thrusts. The modern rapier is a descendant of the training weapons of past centuries, which is why the “training” affected area is the athlete’s jacket, which covers the torso. Injections to the legs, arms and head do not count. And in epee fencing everything is simple and as close as possible to a duel: a thrust to any part of the body except the back of the head is counted - the latter for the safety of the athletes.

In the Soviet Union, for example, until the 1960s there was a sport called carbine fencing - part of a fighter’s preparation for hand-to-hand combat with a weapon in his hands.

First fight back, then attack

Finally, the third fundamental difference concerns the so-called right of attack, which applies to foil and saber fencers. It lies in the fact that a fencer defending against an opponent’s attack must repel it and only then deliver his blow. In other words, you cannot simply attack towards your opponent - such a thrust or blow will not be counted. You can attack either by seizing the initiative at the beginning of the phrase, or by repelling someone else’s attack. All controversial episodes are dealt with by the chief judge. Simultaneous injections are not possible: either one athlete or no one gets a point. The sword in this regard again looks simpler: it has no right of attack. And fencers can make simultaneous thrusts. At the same time, the automation records the second injection if it occurs no later than 0.25 seconds later.

Red vs green

To make it easier and more convenient for spectators to follow the fencers’ fights, thrusts and strikes are accompanied by appropriate sound and color signals. An injection inflicted by one athlete is accompanied by the lighting of a red lamp, and by his opponent – ​​a green one. There is also a white lamp that signals that a thrust has been made, but has not hit the target area - this lamp only works during foil competitions. For the automation to work, the thrust with a rapier or sword must not be too weak - the pressure must be equal to at least the weight of the weapon. Signals from lamps and automation are not decisive. In controversial episodes or in cases where the fencer requests a replay, the decision remains with the chief arbiter.

Parlez-vous français?

Since the role of traditions is strong in fencing, international competitions the referee still addresses the athletes and makes his decisions on French– as it was at the 1896 Olympic Games. “En guarde. Êtes-vous prêt?” - this is how the chief judge calls the athletes to arms and asks if they are ready for battle. "Allez!" – a signal to start the fight, giving athletes the right to start a counter movement.

An injection inflicted by one athlete is accompanied by the lighting of a red lamp, and by his opponent – ​​a green one. There is also a white lamp, which signals that a blow or injection was delivered, but did not hit the target area.

"Halte!" – stopping the fight, injections and blows after it are not counted. “A droit” – a hit is awarded to the fencer located to the right of the main referee. "A gauche" - on the left. “Pas compter” – a hit is not awarded to any of the participants in the fight.

A red card is not the worst thing

However, the score can change not only after injections or blows, but also after violations of the rules. For example, a penalty hit is awarded to someone who steps outside the front line of the track or defends himself in an unacceptable manner, preventing his opponent from delivering a hit. Stepping beyond the side limits of the track is punishable by a “one meter fine”: the match is resumed with a displacement of one meter in the direction of the offending athlete. Running attacks, body contacts, pushing the opponent, active actions with the free hand and other violations are punishable yellow card. For repetition of such actions, the judge may show a red card and assign a penalty shot. For gross violations of the rules or unsportsmanlike behavior, a black card is shown, which means disqualification.