The event featured 350 players from 52 countries, 9 of which represented Arab nations.
Hungary’s Gergely Siklosi and Brazil’s world champion Nathalie Moellhausen bagged gold medals in the Men’s and Women’s Epee Grand Prix in Doha on Sunday.
Held in Doha Aspire Dome, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) Grand Prix Qatar 2023 Epee competitions was organised by the Qatar Fencing Federation (QFF) and brought together hundreds of players from several countries, including Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, and Algeria.
Contending against Belgium’s Neisser Loyola, Siklosi won with a 15-10 score, while in the final bout of women’s epee, Moellhausen faced France’s Marie-Florence Candassamy, triumphing with a 15-8 score.
With a total prize pool of $22,000, the event kicked off with the emergence of several Qatari men fencers, including Yousef Abdultawab, Mohamed Abdullah, Mohamed Al Haza, Abdulrahman Al Jadra, Mohamed Al Awlan, Jaber Al Fadaaq, and Mishaal Al Qahtani.
In the women’s category was Qatar’s Haya Diab, who fell short of qualifying to final rankings.
Egypt’s Mahmoud Mohsen (the world No. 181) arose as the only Arab qualifier into the round of 64.
Khaled Al Suwaid, the tournament director, called the hosting a great success on all levels ahead of the final faceoff.
“We’ve received great applause from the International Fencing Federation (FIE) for the good organisation and preparation of the competition, which has witnessed the participation of the best fencers in the world from 52 countries,” Al Suwaid said.
Qatar’s fencing competition has grown in the last few years, with the country’s national team competing for medals in Asian and World tournaments at U17 and U20 categories.
