Georgian fencer Sandro Bazadze becomes European Champion

Georgian fencer Sandro Bazadze has earned his first title of a European Champion after winning the European Fencing Championships in the Turkish resort city Antalya on Saturday.

The three-time bronze medalist claimed the gold for the first time in his career after defeating Italy’s silver-winning Luca Curatoli 15-11 in the final.

Bazadze’s road to the final included a win over Hungary’s Aron Szilagyi, in a satisfying result after his controversial loss to his counterpart at the 2021 Olympic Games.

Following last year’s fixture, the Georgian fencer claimed the referee had wrongly given a point to Szilagyi at a crucial point in the tightly contested match that stood at 13-13 at the time of the decision.

The 28-year-old, a winner of this year’s World Cup among other honours, is third in the International Fencing Federation ranking.