At the Paris Games on Saturday, Ukraine won the gold medal in the women’s sabre fencing team event, defeating South Korea in a thrilling final.
Olga Harlan, who won the individual bronze medal in Paris, Ukraine’s first medal, led her team to a comeback victory with a brilliant performance, winning Ukraine’s first gold medal at the 2024 Games.
Once again spurred on by the enthusiastic crowd at the Grand Palais, Karlan took 22 total touches to win his sixth Olympic medal, Ukraine’s second gold medal in the event after winning it at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“My strategy was to put my emotions aside because this is the Olympics,” Karlan told reporters. “I couldn’t believe the support I got here, everyone was shouting my name. Thank you Paris, it was a great tournament. This is a great venue.”
The 33-year-old Karlan took part in this tournament at the invitation of the IOC after being disqualified from last year’s world championships in Milan for refusing to shake hands with a Russian athlete following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “A year ago I had almost quit fencing. This story has had a very good ending,” she said.
After the stunning victory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the Ukrainian team: “I thank you for the result, for the spirit and for showing the victory of the Ukrainian people!” Zelenskyy wrote on his X account. “Ukraine knows how to inspire people, both at the Olympics and at times like these!” Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko echoed Zelenskyy’s words, calling the result “historic.”
South Korea’s world number 10, Choi Se-bin, who lost to Karlan in the individual bronze medal match, said she was happy with her first Olympic medal despite the defeat. “It’s a great honour to win South Korea’s first silver medal in women’s sabre. The competition is fun,” said the Olympic debutant.
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Japan also won its first medal in the event, beating world number one France in the bronze medal match. The host nation missed out on the podium despite having individual winner Manon Apicy-Brunet and runner-up Sarah Balzer.
