Published on 09 December 2024 Yoana Ilieva won a bronze medal in sabre at the Women's Fencing Grand Prix in Orleans (France). The competition is valid for the World Cup and is one of the highest-ranking events of the International Fencing Federation. The tournament featured the best sabre fencers in the world. A month ago, the student from NSA "Vasil Levski" placed fifth in the season's first World Cup tournament. In Orleans, 177 competitors from 34 countries participated, with the matches spread over two days. Yoana Ilieva entered directly on the second day of the competition due to her high ranking. In her first match, she defeated Anna Smirnova (CIS) with 15:13. In the battle for a spot in the Top 16, the fencer from the "Svechnikov" Fencing Club eliminated Katinka Sugar Bataï (Italy) with 15:13. In the next match, the NSA student faced Se-bin Choi (Republic of Korea) and won 15:10. In the match for a spot on the podium, Ilieva faced the top-seeded fencer, Manon Apiti (France), and won after an extremely close contest with 15:14. In the match for a place in the final, the Bulgarian lost to Ha-yong Jeon (Republic of Korea) with 13:15 and secured the bronze medal. Two other sabre fencers from Bulgaria participated in the tournament, competing in the groups and elimination rounds for a spot in the Top 64. Beloslava Ivanova recorded three wins and three losses in the first phase, finishing in 89th place. Emma Neykova won one match in her group and placed 126th. Photo: Bulgarian Fencing Federation | 