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Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan’s men’s épée team has made history by winning its first-ever medal at the Fencing World Championships, securing bronze after defeating France.
The team reached the semifinals in Tbilisi, where they narrowly lost by a single touch to Japan, the eventual world champions.
“We had a big lead, but then Koki Kano came in. Honestly, he is my personal pain – I lost to him at the Olympics, the World Cup, and the Asian Championships. He came out and turned the match around,“ said team leader Ruslan Kurbanov in an interview with Tengrinews.
Kano’s coach, Alexander Gorbachuk, is now working with Kazakhstan. A Ukrainian specialist, he previously led Japan for 15 years, guiding them to Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020 and silver in Paris 2024.
“He’s considered the best coach in the world, and I’m grateful he is now raising fencing in Kazakhstan,“ Kurbanov said.
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After the painful semifinal defeat, the Kazakh team was emotionally drained.
“I had no desire or emotions left. Honestly, I just wanted to cry,“ Kurbanov admitted.
But Gorbachuk found the right words.
“He told us: ‘You fought really well. Losing by one touch is sport. You’ll beat the French, I have no doubt.’ In fact, he said ‘we’ will beat them. That united us,“ Kurbanov recalled.
The team responded with determination, defeating France 45:31 to claim a historic bronze medal.
Kazakhstan began its run with a decisive 45:35 victory over Russia, followed by wins against China and Italy. Only Japan managed to stop them on the way to the final.
For Kurbanov, the bronze in Tbilisi is his second World Championship medal after winning an individual bronze in Milan two years ago.
