Estonian fencer Katrina Lehis secures second European gold in épée
Katrina Lehis won the épée gold at the European Senior Fencing Championships in France, defeating Germany's Alexandra Ehler in the final. It is her second European title.
Estonia's Katrina Lehis clinched the épée gold medal at the European Senior Fencing Championships in Antony, France, this week, marking her second European title. She dominated the final, defeating Germany's Alexandra Ehler 15-10, taking an early 3-0 lead and extending it to 7-2 after two periods before closing out the bout.
"It's incredible, of course," said Lehis, who won silver last year. "Anyone who's reached a final and won knows the feeling." She added that her supporters, though few in number, were exceptionally vocal: "I don't have the biggest fan club here, but it's definitely the loudest! I'm incredibly happy."
Road to gold
Lehis went undefeated in pool play. In the direct elimination rounds, she started with a tight 9-8 overtime win over Romania's Emma Sonti, then beat Sweden's Elvira Martensson 15-12 to reach the top 16. She stayed in control, defeating Hungary's Blanka Nagy 15-12, Italy's Giulia Rizzi 15-7 in the quarterfinals, and Hungary's Eszter Muhari 15-10 in the semifinals.
Other Estonian results
In the women's épée competition, Julia Beljajeva won five of her six pool bouts, while Veronika Zuikova and Irina Embrich each secured four victories. Embrich was eliminated 11-10 by France's Diane von Kerssenbrock in her first direct elimination match, and Zuikova lost 15-8 to Italy's Rizzi. Beljajeva opened the knockout stage with a dominant 15-5 win over Lithuania's Paulina Bajorunaite-Stauske, but fell 15-7 to von Kerssenbrock in the round of 32.
