Kazakhstan beats Russia, China to reach world fencing semi-finals
Kazakhstan’s men’s epee team has stormed into the semi-finals of the 2025 FIE Senior World Fencing Championships, pulling off a series of impressive victories in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Kazakh squad edged out Italy 45-43 in a tense quarterfinal showdown to secure a spot in the final four.
En route to the quarterfinals, Kazakhstan defeated fencing powerhouses Russia (45-35) and China (38-37). In the match against Italy, the Kazakhs led from the opening bout and surrendered the lead only once, after Matteo Galassi’s bout with Vadim Sharlaimov temporarily swung momentum in Italy’s favor.
However, as they did against China, the Kazakhstani team displayed grit and skill to reclaim control and close the match in style. The final score: 45-43.
The semifinal-bound squad includes Sharlaimov, Ruslan Kurbanov, Elmir Alimzhanov and Kirill Prokhodov. They will next face Japan, which defeated Switzerland 45-40 in their quarterfinal.
The winner of the Kazakhstan-Japan semifinal will be guaranteed at least a silver medal. The losing team will contend for bronze against either France or Hungary.
Kazakhstan’s women’s sabre team had a less successful outing. Aigerim Sarybay, Anastassia Gulik and Karina Dospay were eliminated after a 39-45 loss to Uzbekistan in their opening match and did not qualify for the consolation bracket. They finished in 19th place overall.
Before the men’s epee team event, Kazakhstan’s best result in Tbilisi had been Kurbanov’s ninth-place finish in the individual competition. Now, he and his teammates are assured a top-four result, marking one of Kazakhstan’s strongest showings in recent World Championship history.
The 2025 FIE Senior Fencing World Championships (July 22-30) featured 12 sets of medals across individual and team events in epee, foil and sabre for both men and women. Athletes from Russia and Belarus participated under neutral status.
