Kazakhs regain epee title; China picks up 6th gold

Kazakhstan foiled the Chinese domination of the Sharp Asian Fencing Championships as it regained the men’s team epee crown yesterday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Led by individual epee silver and bronze medallists Sergey Shabalin and Alexander Acanov, respectively, the Kazakhs smashed the Iranians, 45-35, in the finals to bag the gold medal they lost to the Chinese in last year’s edition of the event in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kazakhstan advanced to the finals when it edged defending champion China, 28-27, earlier courtesy of the deciding point by Shabalin over Liu Jing in the six-day meet bankrolled by Sharp and organized by the Philippine Amateur Fencing Association (PAFA).

It was also Shabalin and company who bundled out the Filipinos via a 45-20 victory in the quarterfinals.

Current RP No. 1 Armand Bernal, Almario and Wilfredo Vizcayno and Avelino Victorino proved too easy a prey for a taller and heftier Kazakhstan side, the 2002 titlist.

"Ang tatangkad at malalaki talaga sila," said the 22-year-old Almario Vizcayno, a member of the RP team that won a gold medal in the epee team event in the 2003 Hanoi Southeast Asian Games.

The RP women’s squad, on the other hand, fared a little better against the Kazakh lady fencers but suffered the same fate as their male counterparts after dropping a 31-45 decision.

Harlene Orendain, the tallest among her teammates and the current RP No. 1, powered his team to a 20-9 lead in the second of the nine-round bout. But she and 2003 SEAG silver medallist Lorenn Ann San Diego and Melly Joyce Angeles wavered and lost ground — and the match.

Later in the day, the Kazakhs, composed of Anna Sernova, Yaketeri Skopnevskaya and Marggrita Mischuk, bowed to the Koreans, 36-45, in the semis.

China, for its part, won its sixth gold medal after its lady squad downed Korea, 45-35, in the women’s team epee event.

It was a sixth gold for the Chinese following victories in the individual events courtesy of Zhong Man (men’s sabre), Zhao Yuanyuan (women’s sabre), Tan Li (women’s epee), Zhu Jun (men’s foil) and Su Wanwen (women’s foil).