Georgian wheelchair fencer Nina Tibilashvili wins world cup bronze

Georgian wheelchair fencer Nina Tibilashvili won a bronze medal at the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Italy on Sunday after competing in the four-day event alongside compatriot Irma Khetsuriani.

Tibilashvili was one of dozens of athletes that featured in the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing World Cup, which was held in Pisa from November 10-13.

Competing in the Women's Sabre A Category, Tibilashvili was one of 16 fencers from eight countries to compete. She won two matches in her group to advance to the play-off stage.

Tibilashvili appeared in six matches at the tournament and won five of them. Photo from Georgian National Paralympic Committee's press office.

Tibilashvili continued her run of victories in the elimination round by easing past Camille Chai of Canada with a score of 15-3 before finding herself in more evenly matched rounds against Rebecca Puckey of the United Kingdom and Brianna Vide of France.

The young Georgian won her Top 16 match against Puckey with a score of 15-12 and the quarterfinal round against Vide with a final result 15-13.

The string of victories saw the Georgian advance to the semi-final, where she faced Hungary's Amarilla Veres. By reaching the semi-final stage Tibilashvili also guaranteed herself a medal at the prestigious competition.

The semi-final was won by Veres, who later became the eventual winner of the tournament.

Nina Tibilashvili shared a photo of her bronze medal. Photo from the Georgian National Paralympic Committee's press office.

The Women's Sabre A Category also featured another Georgian competitor, Irma Khetsuriani.

Tibilashvili and Khetsuriani have competed side-by-side at various tournaments including a World Cup competition in Hungary earlier this year.

While Khetsuriani is already known for her medal-winning performances at tournaments around the world, Tibilashvili only launched her career in wheelchair fencing last year after she watched a training session for professional fencers in Tbilisi.

In addition to her recent success in Pisa, Tibilashvili won two bronze medals at the 2015 IWAS Under 23 Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Sharjah, the United Aram Emirates.