The World Fencing Championships began today at the AsiaWorld-Expo convention and exhibition center in Hong Kong, with 22 Kazakh athletes competing, according to infohub.kz.
Foil fencers were the first to take the piste. All Kazakh fencers advanced to the playoffs after overcoming preliminary bouts. In the round of 64, Galim Nurumov lost to Uzbek fencer Ulugbek Usmanov 8-15, finishing in 109th place overall.
The same stage featured the first Kazakh derby: Timofey Semenov defeated teammate Tamirlan Kaliev 15-13, then faced France’s Anas Anan in the round of 32. The three-time European vice-champion proved stronger, winning 15-13. In the final standings, Semenov placed 75th, while Kaliev ranked 126th.
The first medalists of the 2026 World Championships (men's foil and women's epee) will be determined on July 25. Preliminary bouts in women's saber and men's epee are scheduled for July 23.
The World Fencing Championships are being held for the 71st time; the first tournament took place in 1921. A total of 12 sets of medals will be awarded in individual and team events for men and women in epee, foil, and saber.
The prize fund is $1.02 million. Individual winners will receive $40,000, silver medalists $20,000, and bronze medalists $10,000. In team events, the gold-winning team will earn $50,000, silver $25,000, and bronze $15,000.
At the previous World Championships in Tbilisi, the Kazakhstan team won bronze in the men's team epee event.