Jana shines in sabre at home wheelchair fencing World Cup

Jana, who is a regular on the podium in the women’s epee category B, this time landed on top in the sabre for her first gold in the weapon since 2017.

All semi-finals and finals are available on demand here alongside results here.

The Thai fencer claimed the scalp of Georgia’s former world champion and current World No.1 Irma Khetsuriani to secure an upset in the final.

Khetsuriani was also returning off the back of her own victory at the opening World Cup of the season in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in April, but this time settled for silver.

Germany’s Sylvi Tauber and Hong Kong’s Yui Chong Chan secured bronze.

Also broadening his horizons was Great Britain’s men’s epee category A Paralympic champion Piers Gilliver in the foil.

The Briton has not competed in the individual foil since 2017 and has never won gold. That all changed on Thursday as Gilliver, who was ranked No. 61 in the world, stormed past Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and top seed Richard Osvath to claim a place in the final.

There he faced Poland’s Michal Nalewajek, another top 10 ranked fencer, also pushing him aside.

Osvath joined Gilliver’s teammate Oliver Lam-Watson on the podium in third.

The men’s foil category B went more to form as Great Britain’s Paralympic bronze medallist Dimitri Coutya claimed gold on his season debut.

France’s Maxime Valet improved on his foil bronze from the Sao Paulo World Cup with silver.

South Korea’s Ryu Eun Hwan and France’s Laurent Vadon were third, with the French duo sending a clear message as the road to the Paris 2024 Paralympics gets underway.

Poland’s Marta Fidrych added her second consecutive gold in the women’s epee category A. Kwon Hyo Kyeong of South Korea secured silver.

Hong Kong’s multiple Paralympic medallist Yu Chui Yee completed a successful first outing of 2022 with bronze. French 22-year-old Brianna Vide also grabbed bronze to follow-on from her third from Sao Paulo.

The 2022 IWAS Wheelchair Fencing World Cup continues in Chon Buri on Friday (19 May) with the men’s epee category A and B and women’s sabre category A and epee category B.

Live coverage is available of every semi-final and final at the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing website alongside live results.