Kazakhstan's fencers, who became world champions in Hong Kong, were given a warm welcome at home. Having won the country's first world championship gold, the athletes were greeted by fans, relatives, friends and the media, reports infohub.kz.
On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the national team was welcomed by Ruslan Yesenalin, Chairman of the Committee for Sports and Physical Culture. He congratulated the athletes and coaching staff on their outstanding achievement, stressing that the victory was the result of systematic work to develop fencing, the high professionalism of athletes and mentors, and effective cooperation between the state and the national federation.
En route to the title, the Kazakh team of Yerlik Sertai, Ruslan Kurbanov and Vadim Sharlaimov confidently defeated all opponents. Their achievements include wins over Finland (45:39), Uzbekistan (28:27), Denmark (45:36), Egypt (41:32) and Ukraine in the final match with a score of 45:40.
The ministry noted that this success is a natural outcome of the consistent development of the national fencing school. In recent years, this particular team has consistently shown high results at major international events.
The Kazakh épée fencers previously won a World Cup stage in Istanbul (2023), the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh (2025) and the Asian Championship in New Delhi (2026). They also became bronze medalists at the World Championship, defeating France in the decisive bout.
Following the World Championship, Kazakhstan's national team rose to third place in the world rankings, behind only Switzerland and France.
An important part of the team's preparation was targeted work to strengthen the coaching staff.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated the men's national épée team on winning the world championship in Hong Kong. The head of state noted that the first-ever gold was a vivid testament to their outstanding sporting skill, strength of character and true team spirit.
The Fencing World Championship was held for the 71st time and for the first time in Hong Kong. Twelve sets of medals were up for grabs, and the prize fund of the 2026 World Championship totaled $1.02 million.