Ntounis ‘headed straight for gold’ at Tokyo 2020

Greece’s Vasileios Ntounis is brimming with confidence ahead of the 2019 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sport (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing World Championships and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with his first World Cup gold under his belt.

Ntounis is one of several new faces to feature on the World Cup podium as the clock ticks down to the next Paralympics and Worlds in Cheongju, South Korea, from 17-23 September.

He emerged the victor in the men’s sabre category A in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in February.

That has given Ntounis – who debuted in 2014 – a much needed boost. At his first Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he just missed out on a medal in the individual sabre as well as with his teammates in the epee.

“At Rio 2016 I missed out on getting that medal because of my lack of experience in staying focused under pressure. However from this loss I gained the experience and the motivation I need to win a medal at Tokyo 2020 and I’m headed straight for the gold,” he said.

“Winning my first individual World Cup gold in Sharjah was very important to me for my qualification for the Paralympics and for improving myself and the skills to have the ability to win a gold Paralympic medal.”

After Rio 2016 Ntounis believes he identified where he went wrong. As well as gold in Sharjah, it also allowed him to pick up his first World Championships medal with bronze in Rome, Italy, in 2017.

“I didn’t necessarily change anything as far as my techniques go, however this time I had made a good plan and was very well prepared before the World Cup because the previous time I didn’t do as well as I had hoped,” he said.

Ntounis, whose left leg was paralysed at the age of two after contracting Coxsackievirus, currently trains for a minimum of three days per week.

Now the Greek is ready to level up again in Cheongju where he is aiming to improve on his third place from two years ago.

“I believe I will do better this time in Cheongju because I will be more prepared and I am willing to do anything to get me to win a gold medal in order to be qualified for the Paralympics,” he said.

The 2019 IWAS Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Cheongju will feature men’s and women’s epee, foil and sabre events in categories A, B and C.

Wheelchair fencing at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games begins on 26 August and runs until 30 August.