🇺🇦 REIGNING EUROPEAN CHAMPION SVICHKAR STRIKES GOLD IN ASTANA
Updated: Aug 5
ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN — 29 MARCH 2026
Reigning European Champion Roman Svichkar (UKR) captured his first World Cup title of the season, climbing to the top of the podium at the Astana Men's Epee World Cup. The World number 12 displayed peerless technical execution across the four-day event in Kazakhstan, securing the gold medal with a clinical 15–12 victory over home favorite Ruslan Kurbanov.
Kurbanov (KAZ), the World number 7 and recent Heidenheim World Cup champion, took home the silver medal in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. The bronze medals were secured by World number 3 Mohamed Elsayed (EGY), continuing an outstanding multi-medal campaign, and Hungary's David Nagy, who engineered the biggest bracket upsets of the weekend.
Path to the Podium
Roman Svichkar (World number 12) was in spectacular form, comfortably dispatching early opponents before navigating a razor-thin quarter-final. Facing World number 5 Matteo Galassi (ITA), Svichkar showcased brilliant clock management to edge a 12–11 thriller. He carried that momentum into the semi-finals, completely dominating the highly decorated Elsayed 15–7, before silencing the arena with his final victory over Kurbanov.
Ruslan Kurbanov (World number 7) treated the home spectators to a phenomenal run, which included standardising his dominance over the Frazão brothers of Portugal in consecutive rounds. His crowning moment came in the quarter-finals, where he engaged in a masterfully passive defensive duel to upend the reigning Olympic and World Champion, Koki Kano (JPN), with a 9–8 scoreline. A gritty 15–13 semi-final win over Nagy booked his place in the final.
Mohamed Elsayed (World number 3) added a third podium finish to his stellar season, which already featured gold from Vancouver and bronze from Heidenheim. The Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist showed exceptional nerve in the round of 32, surviving a 15–14 cliffhanger against Hong Kong's Fong, before comfortably dismantling Germany's Brinkmann 15–9 in the quarter-finals to guarantee his bronze.
David Nagy (World number 48) played the role of ultimate spoiler in Astana. The Hungarian turned the bracket upside down in the round of 32 by handing an early 15–14 exit to World number 8 Davide Di Veroli (ITA). He then kept his composure in an all-Hungarian quarter-final clash, out-maneuvering his veteran compatriot, 2023 World Champion Mate Koch, to book his career-second senior World Cup podium.
