Women’s saber fencing team wins Ukraine’s first gold at 2024 Olympics

Ukraine's women's saber fencing team won the country's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, defeating South Korea with a score of 45-42 in the finals.

Ukraine's five-time Olympic medalist Olga Kharlan, along with fencers Olena Kravatska, Alina Komashchuk, and Yuliia Bakastova, made their way to the Olympic finals by beating Italy and Japan.

"Thank you for the result, for your character, for the fact that Ukrainians are winning!" President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the match.

"We are cheering for ours and supporting them with the whole country. Ukraine knows how to inspire at the Olympic Games, even in times like these."

Kharlan won Ukraine's first Olympic medal in the 2024 games, defeating South Korea's Choi Sebin on July 29. The gold makes her Ukraine's most decorated Olympian in history by medal count, six in total. Swimmer Yana Klochkova, who retired in 2008, has five Olympic medals.

Ukraine has so far won three medals at the Paris Olympics. Shooter Serhii Kulish took silver in the 50m rifle three-position event.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak defeated Brazilian Wanderley Pereira in the 80-kilogram weight category quarterfinals. Khyzhniak has secured a spot in the semifinals, guaranteeing him at least a bronze medal, as the Olympic regulations stipulate that there is no third-place match.

Ukraine’s saber team on the hunt for Paris Olympic medal after bouncing back from years of failure

With tears in her eyes, saber fencer Olga Kharlan kissed her blue and yellow mask and, pointing to it, loudly spoke into the camera in Ukrainian: “We love you, Ukraine! This is for you, dear!” The 33-year-old saber fencer has just won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, her

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova