Georgian fencers Sandro Bazadze and Irma Khetsuriani win gold

Georgian fencers Sandro Bazadze and Irma Khetsuriani both won gold medals at international competitions in Bulgaria and Canada.

At the European Under 23 Fencing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria Bazadze, a member of Georgia’s national fencing team, collected gold after triumphing in the Men's Sabre discipline of the competition on May 1.

Bazadze finished top among 50 athletes from around the world after defeating Italy's Fancesco D'Armiento in the final.

Fencer Sandro Bazadze (L) in action at the European Under 23 Fencing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria last weekend. Photo from the European Fencing Federation/Facebook.

The victory was Bazadze's third Under 23 title. The Georgian athlete also won gold at the same contest in 2013 and 2014.

Bazadze recently qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after finishing third in the European Qualification Tournament in April.

He also won the Fencing World Cup tournament in Turkey in January this year.

Sandro Bazadze (second from left) poses with his medal among podium finishers of the Bulgarian contest. Photo from the European Fencing Federation/Facebook.

The European Under 23 Fencing Championships tournament started on May 1 and will conclude on May 4.

See the full results of the contest on the official tournament website here.

Meanwhile, wheelchair fencer Irma Khetsuriani claimed gold at the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Montreal, Canada.

Khetsuriani took first place on April 29 after winning her final match against France's Sophie Sablon with the score 15-13.

The Georgian female fencer will now turn her attention to gaining qualification for this summer's 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when she competes in the epee discipline at the Montreal event on Saturday.

Khetsuriani won the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup event in Paris, France in October last year after claiming silver at the World Championships contest in Hungary a month before.