Irma Khetsuriani claims Wheelchair Fencing Championships gold in Rome

Georgia’s World Cup-winning wheelchair fencer Irma Khetsuriani collected another gold at the newly launched Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Rome on Tuesday.

Khetsuriani emerged as the winner of the Sabre Category B at the competition after defeating London Paralympic Games gold medal-winner Saysunee Jana of Thailand.

The Georgian athlete emerged victorious with a score 15-10 in the category final held on the first day of the event.

The Georgian athlete competes against Thailand’s Saysunee Jana in the final. Photo: Augusto Bizzi/Italian Fencing Federation.

Khetsuriani also edged past Poland’s Patrycja Hareza with the same score in the semifinal after defeating Jadwiga Pacek, another Polish entrant, in the Last 8 round with a score of 15-6.

The new champion also faced and defeated Jana at the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Poland’s capital Warsaw earlier this year.

Both Khetsuriani and Nina Tibilashvili, another member of the Georgian team and a World Cup gold medallist, will compete in today’s fixtures at the World Championships.

The tournament represents the first major wheelchair fencing international event in Rome since 1960, and will run through November 12.