Young Latvian fencer Sofija eyes a place at the Olympics
Latvian épée fencer Sofija won both the European and world junior titles in 2026. She has the potential to return Latvia to Olympic fencing after a 28-year break.
Latvian fencer Sofija, described as the country's most promising athlete in the sport at the moment, could help Latvia return to the Olympic fencing competition after a 28-year absence. The last Latvian to compete in épée at the Olympics was Jūlija Vansoviča from Daugavpils, at the 2000 Games in Sydney. She reached the round of 16, where she lost to the eventual champion Tímea Nagy of Hungary.
From cadet medals to the elite level
Sofija won her first medal at a high-level international event in 2022, taking bronze at the European Cadet Championships. A year later she won silver in the same age group, and a year after that she took bronze at the European Junior Championships.
The first titles came in 2026, with gold at both the European and the world junior championships. In spring she also won bronze at a Grand Prix event in the elite category, where opponents are considerably more experienced. There are only three such events per season, ranking just below the world and European championships. All of these results came shortly after she recovered from a back injury.
Family background and training conditions
Sofija's mother also fenced. She was initially worried about her daughter's path in the sport, having herself had a difficult experience training with the foil and problems getting along with a coach, but those concerns quickly faded. Sofija has been in fencing from the start and has not tried any other sport. She first went to training with a cousin and at first disliked it, but the sport grew on her once the bouts began and she started winning.
Her cousin now serves in the National Armed Forces. Sofija also considered that route, but has not found a place in the army sports club. Her coach, Mihails Jefremenko, who has extensive experience in modern pentathlon, says the club barely exists any more and places are given only to a few athletes. There was no space for athletes in the Zemessardze (the National Guard) either, but if a vacancy appears, they would gladly take it.
Sofija lacks equal training partners in Latvia, so she sparrs at camps with athletes from other national teams, including men, as well as with the Estonian team. The coach says this has both advantages and drawbacks, since men have a different reaction speed and strength, and stresses the need to keep working at training camps.
