(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Fawad Hussain / The Peninsula
South Korean prodigy Park Sang-young of South Korea and Romania's seasoned campaigner Ana Maria Popescu claimed men's and women's titles respectively at Qatar Fencing Grand Prix, which concluded after an eventful final day in Doha yesterday.
The last day of the three-day event begun with the last-64 stages in both men's and women's epee events, witnessing major upsets including a heartbreak for Tunisia's defending champion Sarra Besber, who suffered upset defeat in the last-32 stage.
Park, the reigning Olympic champion, clinched six victories on the extensive final day to bag his second title in Doha.
'Last time it was 2014 when I won in Doha. It's my second title here, a jubilant Park told The Peninsula after sealing the title.
'Olympic gold is obviously special but I consider the title in Doha also important because it's a tough competition.
Park was up against Jung Jinsun in the all-South Korean final in which he showed no sign of tiredness to seal the title with ease. Jinsun was penalised for the foul play during the course which lent Park the title.
The 22-year-old, however, faced tough competition against former world champion Paolo Pizzo of Italy in the semi-final in which he had to rally to win. Earlier, Park defeated Max Heinzer of Denmark in the quarter-finals before his victories against Francois Xavier Ferot (Belgium),Maksym Khvorost (Ukraine), Marco Fichera (China) and Max Heinzer (Denmark) in the earlier stages.
'It was a long day and tiring day but I am happy that it ended with my win. I always like to come to Doha because it's hospitality and the level of competition here, he added.
Romania's Ana Maria Popescu celebrates after defeating Italian fencer Mara Navarria in the women's final yesterday.
While Park was expected to win the men's title, Popescu emerged as surprise winner in women's competition.
The 33-year-old shocked two-time winner at Qatar GP Mara Navarria of Italy in the final 10-6 to win the women's event. The Romanian looked clearly superior to Navarria with her crafty touches and sharp reflexes in the final.
Popescu earlier defeated Guangjuan Hou of China in the semi-final and Tatyana Andryushina of Russia in the quarter-finals. Hou was the fencer who ended Sarra's dream of defending her title with a stunning win in the last-32 stage. Francesca Boscarelli (Italy), Beate Christmann (Germany), Tatiana Gudkova (Russia) and Rossella Fiamongo (Italy) were Popescu's victims in the earlier stages.
The three-day event featured 350 fencers from a total of 45 countries. As many as 12 Qatari including 4 female fencers were also seen in action during the event. Qatar is hosting the prestigious International Fencing Federation event since 2004.
MENAFN1112201700630000ID1096217017
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.