The men’s preliminaries of the FIE World Cup leg in epee concluded in Kazan.
The very fact that these competitions were the first after a long while for most athletes made the preliminaries’ in Kazan special, and their importance is very high in connection with securing a berth for the Olympics. The participants and their coaches noted how unpredictable the meets were, where the rating number carried little weight.
“It’s hard to make forecasts, as the competitions are held for the first time after a long-term break. Here it is an Olympic-qualifying tournament, thanks to which we’ll get to know who will be admitted for Tokyo among women and men. The competitions level is high, and I like it,” Croatian team coach Dino Kapulo mentioned.
“My anticipations are to win at any cost and nothing else. The competitions are quite tough; I’ve been getting ready since January. The level is high, the highest in the world. The opponents are strong, a lot of participants from different countries. I do like the organisation. Good room in a hotel, calm and nice people. I would like to see Kazan better very much. I heard that the beautiful Volga River flows here. I would like to see it as well!” American epee fencer Jason Pryor told.
First competition day of the FIE World Cup Leg in epee in Kazan defined 128 fencers for the main men’s tournament. It will start on Sunday, March 21. The first seed of the tournament Sergey Bida from Russia will meet Mario Persu from Romania at the competitions start, number two seed Japanese Masaru Yamada – Frederik Von Der Osten from Denmark, and Hungarian Gergely Siklosi (No.3) – Swiss Charles-Eric Oswald.
Women’s preliminaries are scheduled for Saturday, March 20.
Press Office of Directorate for Sports and Social Projects