1st Georgian female wheelchair fencer Khetsuriani wins 16th gold in her career

First Georgian female wheelchair fencer Irma Khetsuriani has won the sixteenth gold medal in her career during the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation Wheelchair Fencing World Cup circuit as she claimed the women's sabre B honours in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

She defeated Saysunee Jana of Thailand in the final battle on Thursday.

Around 120 athletes from 20 countries participate in the competition which is a crucial stop on the road to the 2019 World Championships and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

The competition which started on May 22 will be completed tomorrow.

In the category A, Georgian wheelchair fencer Nina Tibilashvili won the bronze medal.

Khetsuriani was named the best paralympic female athlete of 2018 as she won the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup five times.

She was left wheelchair-bound after suffering from a spinal disease [cancer, at the age of 18] but found her calling when Georgia’s Paralympic Committee suggested she try wheelchair fencing in 2015.

She claimed the world championship in Rome in 2017.

Khetsuriani says that her goal is to win the 2020 Paralympics.