Epee fencer Anna Maksimenko won a gold medal at the competition in Budapest.
17-year-old Ukrainian Anna Maksimenko became the winner of the Grand Prix in epee fencing in Budapest, Hungary.
Our young compatriot started the competition from the second round, where she defeated Frenchwoman Lydiana Guersant (15:12). Then Anna minimally defeated Kenyan Alexandra Ndolo, and in the 1/16 finals knocked out German Kagla Aytekin from the tournament (15:10).
In the 1/8 finals, Maksimenko defeated the “neutral” fencer with a Russian passport, Aizanat Murtazaeva (15:10). In the quarterfinals, the Ukrainian defeated the American Geldi Gusisyan (15:8), guaranteeing herself at least the “bronze”.
In the semi-finals, Anna confidently dealt with Canadian Leonora MacKinnon (15:9) and advanced to the final. In the duel for the “gold”, the Ukrainian fencer overcame the 2024 Paris Olympic champion in the team championship, Italian Giulia Rizzi (12:11).
For Maksimenko, this is the first personal medal in her career at the Grand Prix level in fencing. Until now, at the adult level, she has only won silver in the World Cup team tournament.
This is also the first gold for Ukrainian fencers at the Grand Prix since 2020, when Olga Kharlan won the sabre competition in Montreal.
It is in epee that this is Ukraine’s first gold since 2013, when Yana Shemyakina triumphed at the Grand Prix in Budapest.
It should be noted that Maksimenko's “gold” was the first award for Ukraine at the Grand Prix level in two months. The previous medal was won by epee fencer Joan Faiby Bejura – “bronze” at the stage in Doha, Qatar in January 2025.