The women’s individual sabre podium in fencing at the Olympic Games featured a sweep of European Games gold medallists, led by the French home favourite Manon Apithy-Brunet in front of a packed crowd at the magnificent Grand Palais.

Manon Apithy-Brunet in Krakow Malopolska 2023 European Games ©Kraków-Małopolska 2023

The final was an all-French clash between Apithy-Brunet and Sara Balzer, who were both part of France’s women’s team sabre victory at Kraków-Małopolska 2023.

France’s Manon Apithy-Brunet, Sara Balzer, Margaux Rifkiss, and Cecilia Berder celebrate after winning gold against Team Italy during the Women’s Sabre Team gold medal match during the Fencing competition at the European Games 2023 in Krakow, Poland, on June 30, 2023. Photo by JANEK SKARZYNSKI / AFP

Apithy-Brunet triumphed 15-12 over Balzer and spoke of her pride at winning gold at her home Olympic Games.

“I’m happy. I’m happy for the French, for my country, and I’m proud of me and of Sara,” said Apithy-Brunet, who also completed a full set of Olympic medals having won team silver and individual bronze at Tokyo 2020.

Completing the podium in Paris with bronze was Ukraine’s Olga Kharlan, a two-time European Games gold medallist with an individual triumph in Kraków-Małopolska last year and a team victory in Baku in 2015.

Ukraine | Olga Kharlan
Krakow Malopolska 2023

Kharlan is also a former member of the European Olympic Committees’ Athletes’ Commission, which she served on from 2017 to 2021. This was her fifth Olympic medal, dating back to Beijing 2008.

Fencing has proved one of the hits of the Olympic Games on its return to Europe for the first time in more than a decade, with the use of the Grand Palais venue proving popular among fans.

The successes of Apithy-Brunet, Balzer and Kharlan will be the first of many European Games gold medallists at Paris 2024, underlining the ability of Europe’s premier multi-sport event to attract the continent’s best athletes in a sustainable sporting spectacle in the year before the Olympic Games.