Sabre fencers' win over Japan secures Ukraine's fourth medal at 2024 Olympics

The Ukrainian women's sabre fencing team has defeated Japan in the semi-finals of the 2024 Olympic Games. Source: Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company The Ukrainian team, consisting of Olha Kharlan, Olena Kravatska, Alina Komashchuk and Yuliia Bakastova, beat their opponents with a score of 45-31.

Initially, the Ukrainians took the lead with a score of 15-11.

However, Olena Kravatska struggled during her bout, losing to Risa Takashima with a score of 2-9. Olha Kharlan managed to turn the tide, beating Shihomi Fukushima 8-2. After this bout, Yuliia Bakatasova replaced Kravatska.

Bakatasova made an excellent start to the match, winning her bout with Seri Ozaki 5-4. Olha Kharlan concluded the match with a decisive 5-1 victory over Misaki Emura.

In the final, the Ukrainians will face the winner of the South Korea vs France match. The final match will take place today, 3 August, at 21:00 Kyiv time.

This victory has secured Ukraine's fourth medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. So far, Olha Kharlan has won bronze in the individual sabre fencing, Serhii Kulish won silver in the air rifle three-position shooting, and Oleksandr Khyzhniak took bronze in boxing. Background: 

• The Ukrainian women's sabre fencing team won silver at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, losing in the final to Russia.
• Their greatest achievement was winning gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, where Olha Kharlan and her team defeated the Chinese hosts in the final.
• Kharlan is now the most decorated athlete in Ukrainian Olympic history.

  With today's team medal, she now holds six Olympic medals, surpassing Yana Klochkova.

  Kharlan, 33, who originates from Mykolaiv in Ukraine's south, was previously the first Ukrainian woman to win medals at four separate Olympics.

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