It Is Raining Medals for Hungarian Fencing Teams

 Csanád Gémesi and his opponent, Adham Moátaz from Egypt (L-R)

Hungarian fencers were victorious this weekend, securing multiple medals in international and domestic competitions.

The Hungarian national team won a silver medal on Sunday at the Zarándi Csaba Men’s Sabre Team World Cup in Budapest. The home team, consisting of three Olympic silver medalists—András Szatmári, Csanád Gémesi, Krisztián Rabb—as well as Bertalan Tóth, began with an easy 45-23 victory over Thailand, then defeated Poland 45-42, Italy 45-44, and the United States 45-42 in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, Egypt made a surprising run to the final, defeating Olympic champions South Korea and France along the way.

The final was dominated by the African team, as Hungarian attacks were ineffective and the gap between the two sides steadily widened. After losing two bouts, Szatmári was replaced by Tóth, who struggled initially but found his rhythm. At the end, Krisztián Rabb managed to reduce the deficit, but Egypt still won 45-37.

“This is a very good result, no doubt, but I would not call it a surprise. The core of the team remained from the Olympics, and obviously, without Áron (Áron Szilágyi, who is currently recovering from surgery), we had to come up with something new. The fact that it worked even without him is a very positive and promising sign, and we are looking forward to his return,” said Nemcsik.

He also mentioned that

Krisztián Rabb had proven to be the right choice as the team’s finisher. “He was born for this role. I would not say he is fearless—quite the opposite, he has fears, but he overcomes them, and that is real bravery.

I believe he is the best fit for this role in our team and will continue to excel in the future.” The head coach added that after the World Cup in Padua (Italy), the team competed in the same lineup, and for now, they are planning to continue with this composition. Csanád Gémesi, who secured two wins and one draw in the final, told the crowd on the piste that it had been a long day, but they entered the last match determined to win and gave it everything they had.

András Szatmári admitted that the long break before the final was not beneficial for him, as he did not perform well in the last match. However, he highlighted that earlier in the day, they had defeated teams against whom they were not necessarily considered favorites. A total of 29 teams participated in the competition.

Meanwhile Gergely Siklósi secured a double victory at the Marrakesh Épée World Cup, winning both the individual competition on Saturday and the team event with the Hungarian squad on Sunday. The individual tournament was a remarkable success for Hungary, as Eszter Muhari also claimed a gold medal alongside Gergely Siklósi.

In the team competition, the Hungarian men’s squad—featuring three Olympic champions, Tibor Andrásfi, Máté Koch, and Gergely Siklósi, along with Zsombor Keszthelyi—defeated India 45-21, Colombia 45-20, and Egypt 40-15.

In the semifinals, the Hungarians faced a tense battle against France. Heading into the final bout, they held a narrow one-hit lead, and closing fencer Tibor Andrásfi managed to extend the margin slightly, securing a 36-34 victory.

The final against Italy was also a close contest for a long time. Tibor Andrásfi and Gergely Siklósi performed steadily, but after Máté Koch lost his first mini-bout (1-3), he was replaced by Zsombor Keszthelyi, who proved to be a game-changer. He won his first bout 4-2, reducing Hungary’s deficit to just one hit, then entered the final rotation at 16-16 and handed over the lead at 20-17. In the closing phase, Tibor Andrásfi maintained the advantage, and

Gergely Siklósi secured Hungary’s triumph with commanding confidence, sealing a 38-28 victory.

On the women’s side, the team of Eszter Muhari, Tamara Gnám, Kinga Dékány, and Edina Kardos won 45-25 against Brazil but suffered a heavy 45-28 defeat to Estonia in the round of 16. Afterward, they aimed to improve their final ranking in the lower bracket, comfortably defeating Germany (31-22) and Ukraine (34-28). In the match for ninth place, they overcame Romania with a 38-33 win.

The Hungarian women’s sabre team won a silver medal on Sunday at the Cairo World Cup.

The squad, consisting of Liza Pusztai, Luca Szűcs, Renáta Katona, and Kira Keszei, started with a 45-37 victory against Hong Kong, followed by a 45-40 win over Bulgaria, and then defeated Poland 45-42 in the semifinals. In the final, they faced France, who led throughout the match and secured a 45-32 victory over the Hungarian team. Notably, Luca Szűcs, who had reached the round of 16 in the individual event and finished seventh at the Olympics, did not compete in the final.

This team, with Sugár Battai in place of Kira Keszei, won the world championship title at the same venue in 2022. Sugár Battai also competed in the individual event in Egypt but, according to the Hungarian Fencing Federation’s website, skipped the team competition due to a hip injury.

Via MTI; Featured picture: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán