Osvath grabs World Cup gold for hosts Hungary

The competition is the first major event of the Paralympic year with athletes keen to get a good start to 2020.

Full results and live coverage are available at the new IWAS Wheelchair Fencing website.

Osvath dispatched Ukraine’s European champion Andrii Demchuk and World Championships bronze medallist Edoardo Giordan on his way to the final.

The Hungarian took on Russia’s Victor Dronov for gold. The Russian had himself swept aside Great Britain’s Worlds podium finisher Piers Gilliver for a shot on gold.

But as the match unfolded Osvath’s scintillating form proved too much for Dronov and he fell behind. The final score was 15-8.

Dronov will however be pleased with his silver – his best performance in the sabre since 2017.

Gillver later returned to the piste to win bronze alongside Giordan.

Great Britain’s Worlds silver medallist Dimitri Coutya reached the top of a fourth consecutive podium in the men’s foil category B.

Poland’s Jacek Gaworski claimed second, his first medal in the weapon since the end of 2018.

Russia’s Albert Kamalov and France’s Maxime Valet both took bronze.

Russia collected more silverware in the women’s events, topping the podium in both the epee category A and B.

European champion Iuliia Maya secured gold in the category A against Hungary’s Amarilla Veres.

South Korea’s Sunmi Kim picked up her first World Cup medal in three years with bronze. Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Krajnyak also finished third.

The 2017 world champion Viktoria Boykova triumphed in the category B epee after a close final with Thailand’s Paralympic silver medallist Saysunee Jana that ended 15-12.

Belarus’ Kristina Fiaklistava and Russia’s Ludmila Vasileva rounded off the podium.

The 2020 IWAS Wheelchair Fencing World Cup continues in Eger until Sunday (16 February) when the women’s foil and men’s sabre team events will conclude competition.