The men's épée team of Kazakhstan won their first world championship gold medal in the team event, defeating Ukraine in the final, reports infohub.kz.
The nation was represented by Kirill Prokhodov, Yerlik Sertai, Vadim Sharlaimov, and Ruslan Kurbanov. Ukrainian specialist Alexander Gorbachuk, who has coached the team for nearly two years, praised the achievement: "It was very tough in the final. About 20 teams—all of similar level, and sometimes victory is decided by a single touch. A small mistake and the team loses the chance to win. Great concentration, and the guys held on. There were substitutions; Ruslan Kurbanov came in at the right time and helped. The guys performed a feat today and endured. This doesn't happen just like that; such a victory doesn't come from nowhere. It is hard work, good preparation, productive training camps, and sparring partners. They finished the world championship and won a historic gold medal."
Gorbachuk noted the high level of competition in world épée and called the victory an outstanding result. "We were third at last year's world championship. After that, we understood: if we can win bronze, then gold is also within reach. Any medal is a great success, but gold is incomparable. I worked for 15 years with the Japanese team, and they had an Olympic gold medal, but they never won a world championship gold in team events. For me, this result is a lifetime achievement—to make history. Kazakhstan is making history," the coach emphasized.
He also spoke about young athletes: "Besides these guys, we have young épéeists. Nikita Zhulinsky, for example, got injured before the world championship. There are Alexander Fedotov and Kirill Pavlov, who also fence at a high level. They have shown at international tournaments that they deserve a place on the team. Now we will have a rest, then begin preparation for the next season. The guys need to prove through competition and work who deserves to be on this team."
The gold medal at the World Fencing Championships in épée is the first in history for Kazakhstan in any team sport.