Katinka Battai Sugár won the gold medal as a member of the Hungarian women’s sword team at the World Fencing Championships in Milan on Sunday and is now a two-time world champion. The student of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Debrecen, majoring in recreation and lifestyle, took a big step towards participating in the Paris Olympics.
On Saturday, the national team made up of Battai Sugár Katinka, Anna Márton, Liza Pusztai, and Luca Szűcs entered the field for the first time among the 16 in the qualifying World Fencing Championship in Milan in the sword team fights.
The round of 16 against the Poles did not start well, the Hungarian team fell behind by four points in the first set, and then managed to turn it around in the second set. After the fourth match, the opponent still had the advantage, but DEAC’s fencer, Katinka Battai Sugár, excelled, and with her control, our national team quickly regained the lead, which she kept, and the match ended with a Hungarian victory of 45:39.
On Sunday morning, our team fought with the Greeks for the semi-finals. After the first three aces, the difference between the two teams was minimal, but after that, the Hungarian girls fought with more and more confidence and eventually won by 45:35.
The road to the final led through Dél Kora. The Hungarian national team overcame this obstacle as well, leading almost the whole way and winning by 45:39.
In the final, we met the French, who saw off the Ukrainians, just like a year ago at the World Cup in Cairo. Then the event ended with the success of the Hungarian national team, so now we could prepare for the title defense. The French scored the first ace for 5:2, then Liza Pusztai was replaced by Katinka Battai Sugár, who almost equalized, but Balzer made a good move, so before the third game it was 10:7 for the opponent. After that, there was usually a difference of four or five points between the two teams, but in the 7th set we took the lead thanks to DEAC’s savior! After that, Anna Márton also fought overwhelmingly, and with a Hungarian lead of 40:34, she gave way to the last person, Liza Pusztai, who did not let the victory slip away, the end was 45:38. The Hungarian sword team is world champion again this year after 2022!
With this success, the Hungarians took a big step towards participation in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, as the World Championship is the most important competition of the one-year Olympic qualification period from April to April, the result achieved here, as well as the points awarded for it – with a double multiplier in a team compared to a World Cup – definitely will be included in the total.
Fencing World Championship, Milan
team, sword
Round of 16: Hungary-Poland 45:39 (Battai +5, Márton +2, Pusztai 0, Szűcs -1)
Quarter-final: Hungary-Greece 45:35 (Szűcs +9, Márton +3, Pusztai +1, Battai -3)
Semi-final: Hungary–South Korea 45:39 (Pusztai +5, Szűcs +1, Battai 0)
Final: Hungary-France 45:38 (Márton +10, Battai +4, Szűcs -2, Pusztai -5)
Photo: MTI
Press Center/DEAC/UNIDEB
