🇷🇺 GRAUDYN STUNS FIELD TO CLAIM RUSSIAN MEN'S SABRE WORLD CROWN IN HONG KONG
HONG KONG — 27 JULY 2026
Russia’s World number 16 Pavel Graudyn authored a dominant performance on the sixth day of the 2026 World Championships, capturing the men’s individual sabre title. Competing at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, Graudyn put on a masterclass in aggressive distance control, overpowering Korea's Do Gyeongdong 15–7 in a decisive gold medal bout.
The monumental victory marks Graudyn’s first World Championship title and makes him the first Russian men’s sabre fencer to win the individual World crown since Alexey Yakimenko accomplished the feat in 2014.
While Do earned a hard-fought silver medal, Egypt’s Mohamed Amer and Romania’s Radu Nitu secured the individual bronze medals.
Path to the Podium
Pavel Graudyn (World number 16) put together an untouchable direct elimination run to capture the world title, adding to the silver medal he won at the Padua World Cup earlier in the season. Graudyn opened his campaign with a 15–9 victory over Uzbekistan's Alpamis Urakbaev before steamrolling China's Wei Zhenhao 15–7 in the round of 32. He delivered a major statement in the last 16 by eliminating World number one, Incheon and Tunis Grand Prix winner Sebastien Patrice of France 15–12. Graudyn locked down his podium berth by dismantling Tunisia's Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Fares Ferjani 15–9 in the quarter-finals, then defeated Romania's Nitu 15–8 in the semi-finals before out-classing Do in the final.
Do Gyeongdong (World number 11) showcased his world-class ability to capture an incredible silver medal, becoming only the fifth men’s sabre fencer in Korea's history to reach an individual World Championship podium. Adding to the bronze medals he collected at the Asian Championships and Padua World Cup earlier this season, Do opened with a 15–9 win over Kazakhstan's Nazarbay Sattarkhan before edging his Olympic Team gold medallist teammate Park Sangwon 15–13. He continued his march by turning aside China's Luo Shaotong 15–10 and stunning World number three and reigning World Champion Sandro Bazadze of Georgia 15–11 in the quarter-finals. Do reached the final with a 15–12 semi-final victory over Egypt's Amer before falling to Graudyn.
Mohamed Amer (World number 22) produced a memorable giant-killing run to secure the World bronze medal, adding to his African Championship bronze earlier in the season. Amer became only the second Egyptian man in history to claim an individual men's sabre World Championship medal, achieving the milestone under the direct strip-side coaching of Ziad Elsissy, who won Egypt's first. Amer launched his day by upsetting Hungary's World number seven Kristian Rabb 15–11, then defeated Korea's Hwang Heegeun 15–12 and Iran's Ali Pakdaman 15–6. He guaranteed his podium spot in the quarter-finals by pulling off a heart-stopping 15–14 triumph over Hungary's legendary three-time Olympic Champion Aron Szilagyi before losing to Do in the semi-finals.
Radu Nitu (World number 72) delivered a breakthrough individual performance to claim a historic World bronze medal. Coached on the strip by three-time World Championship bronze medallist Tiberiu Dolniceanu, the 2025 Team World bronze medallist and 2026 European Team silver medallist launched his run with a 15–13 win over Turkey's Furkan Yaman before eliminating Germany's Matyas Szabo in the round of 32. Nitu maintained his momentum by turning aside China's Shen Chenpeng 15–10 in the last 16 and locking down his podium spot with a convincing 15–9 quarter-final victory over the United States' Darii Lukashenko before falling to Graudyn.
Full results are here.
