Favourites shine at European Wheelchair Fencing Championships

The European Championships were Datsko's first major competition in 2014, but he looked as strong as ever as he won both the men's category B foil and sabre titles.

There were few surprises as Europe's top wheelchair fencers battled it out on the piste at the European Championships in Strasbourg last week (7-12 June).

France's main hope of victory, Romain Noble, took full home advantage as he cruised to gold in the men's category A sabre event on the first day of competition.

To the home crowd's disappointment, Noble then narrowly missed out on taking the equivalent epee title, losing to Russia's Roman Fedyaev in the final by just one point. Noble did top the podium again, however, inspiring France to gold in the men's team epee event.

There was almost another title for France in the men's team sabre event, but a Ukraine team led by star performer Anton Datsko proved too strong in the final.

The European Championships were Datsko's first major competition in 2014, but he looked as strong as ever as he won both the men's category B foil and sabre titles.

Datsko's win with the foil saw one of the most exciting finals of the competition. The Ukrainian beat France's Maxime Latreche 15-14 to take the gold.

Germany's top wheelchair fencer Simone Briese-Baetke has been ever-present on the podium this year and it was no different in Strasbourg. She never looked troubled on her way to the women's category B epee title.

In the women's category B foil event Briese-Baetke was again on the podium, though this time to collect a bronze medal. It was instead Italian prodigy Beatrice Vio that shone in this discipline.

Seventeen-year-old Vio, the only wheelchair fencer to compete without arms and legs, missed most of the 2014 season to concentrate on her school career.

Having showed signs of her talent as she finished joint third at the World Cup event in Lonato, Italy, last month, Vio was back to her exciting best in Strasbourg. She showed a composure that belied her age as she comfortably beat Viktoria Boykova by ten points in the final of the event.

Another athlete back in top form is Hungary's Zsuszanna Krajnykak. A double medal winner at London 2012, Krajnyak headed to the European Championships having not won a title since January. She put that right in Strasbourg, and in some style, never dropping more than six points on her way to gold in the women's category A foil event.

Krajnyak's compatriot Richard Osvath will also be delighted with his performance at the tournament. He beat Poland's in-form contender Dariusz Pender in a very tight match to win the men's category A foil competition.

The next major wheelchair fencing competition is the Grand Prix in Warsaw, Poland in September (25-28).