S. Pozdniakova, whose father was a four-time Olympic champion, continued the family’s winning ways in the women’s sabre event at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Pozdniakova made her first appearance on the world stage in 2017, and she has since won two gold medals.
And one silver medal at the World Championships and the European Championships, respectively.
Her team took first place at the European Championships in 2018 and 2019, as well as the World Championships in 2019.
An individual gold from the World Championships in Wuxi would have been the most coveted of those medals until an Olympic gold was won.
Fencing runs in Pozdniakova’s family; both of her parents were Olympians in the sport.
Her father, Stanislav, won the sabre event at the Olympics four times, the world championship ten times, and the European title thirteen times.
Tokyo Olympics: S. Pozdniakova Wins Gold in Sabre, Third Straight Finals Defeat for Velikaya
On Monday in the Makuhari Messe Hall, Russia’s S. Pozdniakova won her first women’s sabre individual gold medal.
With a thrilling 15-11 victory over fellow countrywoman and three-time Olympic medalist Sofya Velikaya.
After coming up short in the finals in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics, Velikaya is eager to finally win her first individual gold.
Pozdniakova, in her first Olympic game, gave Velikaya a good fight till the very end.
Velikaya jumped out to a commanding 7-4 lead, but Pozdniakova stormed back to win in straight sets (10-9 and 14-10).
Pozdniakova has overcome adversity on the field twice (in 2013 and 2018) after suffering a career-threatening injury (a torn ligament).
Her famous saber-fencing father, Stanislav Pozdniakov, also happens to be a government official.
The 47-year-old has won four Olympic medals, including two golds (one as an individual and one with the men’s team in 1996 in Atlanta). A
s a member of the men’s sabre team, he helped win gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Russian Fencer S. Pozdniakova Wins Olympic Gold in Family Tradition
By winning the sabre fencing event on Monday, S. Pozdniakova followed in her father’s footsteps as an Olympic gold medalist.
Meanwhile, Cheung Ka Long brought home Hong Kong’s second gold medal in the country’s history.
Russia at the Tokyo Games is known by the name of its Olympic governing body, the Russian Olympic Committee.
S. Pozdniakova father, is the president of the ROC and a four-time gold medalist in fencing.
Her finals opponent, Sofya Velikaya, is also a member of the ROC bureaucracy. She is in charge of the team of athletes.
At 10-10, S. Pozdniakova finally broke through, her lead signalled by increasingly jubilant cheers.
After she had secured the victory, she got down on one knee and hugged Velikaya. They bowed together in front of their teammates and fellow sportsmen, holding hands.
Conclusion
Right-handed Russian sabre fencer S. Stanislavovna Pozdniakova (born June 17, 1997) has won multiple international titles.
Including the 2019 team world championship, the 2018 individual world championship, the 2021 team Olympic championship, and the 2021 individual Olympic gold medal.
