IWAS Wheelchair fencing World Cup moves to Montreal

By Tim Norris | For the IPC and IWAS

The wheelchair fencing World Cup season continues on Friday (27 April) in Montreal, Canada, where many top-ranked athletes will go for medals.

The competition, which runs until Sunday (29 April), is the third of the International Wheelchair Amputee and Sports Federation (IWAS) World Cup circuit. It follows competitions in Eger, Hungary, and Pisa, Italy, held earlier this year.

Here are the top fencers to watch for in each category:

Class A

Epee

Hungary’s Paralympic bronze medallist Amarilla Veres will be the one to beat on the women’s side, as she currently sits atop the world rankings. Meanwhile in the men’s, Poland’s No. 5 ranked Norbert Calka will hope to move up and secure his first podium finish in the epee this season following top-10 performances from Eger and Pisa.

Foil

Calka’s compatriot Michal Nalewajek also sits fifth in the rankings but can improve that in Canada. In the women’s draw, the experienced three-time world champion Zsuzsanna Krajnyak will try to remain perfect in the discipline, having won the foil in the last two World Cups.

Sabre

Another Hungarian, Andrea Eva Hajmasi, enters the women’s sabre as a top-ranked athlete and will expect to pick up more silverware this time around. She already owns a silver from Eger and gold from Pisa in the discipline. France’s Robert Citerne is the next top-ranked in the men’s category. World Championship silver medallist in the men’s epee from last year, Citerne has added the sabre to his programme and will continue testing his form this weekend.

Class B

Epee

Brazil’s Jovanne Guissone will look to close the gap on Great Britain’s world No. 1 Dimitri Coutya who will not compete. Guissone will try to do better than his two bronze medals in epee in Eger and Pisa.

Thailand’s reigning Paralympic and Worlds silver medallist Jana Saysunee will try to keep her perfect World Cup record in the women’s.

Foil

The absence of Italy’s reigning Paralympic and world champion Beatrice Vio opens the podium for Gorgonian fencer Irma Khetsuriani, who has made the podium in every World Cup this year so far.

Sabre

Maxime Valet is another from the French delegation looking to secure a World Cup medal this year. Montreal would be his second World Cup this year, after he finished sixth in Eger in February.

Results from the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Montreal World Cup will be available online

at Defisportif here               
and on Ophardt here

Information about the livestream will be available here.
click here for live stream