Greece with five swordsmen in the battle of the last chance

Between April 26-28, the European Olympic qualification tournament will be held in Luxembourg in which the last 6 available tickets for the 2024 Olympic Games will be awarded to the athletes of the Old Continent.

Greek fencing has a guaranteed individual qualification in the women’s saber through the world rankings thanks to Dora Goundura, while it failed to have representation in the weapons team events. In the five events that have not secured qualification, Greece has the right to claim the five continental tickets for Paris with three athletes and two athletes.

The Hellenic Fencing Federation set in May and June 2023 the internal selection process for the representation of our country in the Luxembourg tournament, which concluded with the Panhellenic men’s and women’s championships at the end of March.

Katerina Kontochristopoulou and Nikos Kontochristopoulos will claim Olympic qualification for Greece in the exercise sword. Kontochristopoulou from the corresponding event in 2016 in Prague secured qualification for the Rio Olympic Games, while for Kontochristopoulos it will be the third consecutive Olympic qualification tournament after those of 2016 in Prague and 2021 in Madrid.

For the first time in their career, Nikos Tsokas, Nefeli Rodopoulou and Dimitris Kafataridis, who will represent our country in the men’s dueling sword, the women’s dueling sword and the men’s epee respectively, will participate in an Olympic qualification tournament.

It should be noted that in the men’s dueling sword, Tsokas tied with Savvas Kavadias in the internal qualification and the selection criterion in the tie was the highest position in the world ranking.

The international Greek referee Stathis Gerosideris was also invited by the FIE to the event.

The program in the Olympic qualification tournament

Friday 26/4

• 11:00 – Men’s practice sword – poul | Nikos Kontochristopoulos
• 13:00 – Women’s Dueling Sword – Pool | Nefeli Rodopoulou
• 17:30 – Men’s epee – semi-finals
• 18:30 – T4 women’s epee
• 20:00 – Men’s sword exercise – final
• 20:30 – Final women’s epee

Saturday 27/4

• 11:00 – Men’s swords – poul | Dimitris Kafataridis
• 12:00 – Women’s practice sword – poul | Katerina Kontochristopoulou
• 17:30 – Men’s sabers – semi-finals
• 18:30 – Women’s epee – semi-finals
• 20:00 – Men’s Swords – Final
• 20:30 – Women’s sword exercise – final

Sunday 28/4

• 11:00 – Men’s dueling sword – pool | Nikos Tsokas
• 18:00 – Men’s Dueling Sword – Semi-Finals
• 20:00 – Men’s Dueling Sword – Final

Final scores of internal qualification process

Men’s practice sword

1. Nikos Kontochristopoulos (AOX Aegaleo) – 525b
2. Raphael Soulios (VALUE) – 362.5b
3. Artemios Tzovanis (AOX Aigaleo) – 347.5b
4. Yannis Tsimiklis (GEF) – 305b
5. Giorgos Manolikas (VALUE) – 305b

Women’s sword exercise

1. Katerina Kontochristopoulou (AOX Aigaleo) – 685b
2. Stavrina Garifallou (AOX Aigaleo) 470
3. Maria Chaldaiou (VALUE) 452.5b
4. Maria Stamos (PAO) 452.5b
5. Eleni Ballou (AOX Aigaleo) 405b

Men’s dueling sword

1. Nikos Tsokas (OXIF) – 355b
2. Savvas Kavvadias PAO 355b
3. Konstantinos Karabasis (AO Ariston Peanias) – 322.5b
4. Dimitris Mitsios Antonakos (LX Thessaloniki) – 312.5b
5. Yannos Markopoulos (OS Kifisias) – 302.5b

Women’s dueling sword

1. Nefeli Rodopoulou (AOFIPS Iris)
2. Andriana Theodoropoulou (AO Ariston Peanias) – 425b
3. Nicole Hatzisarantou (AO Ariston Peanias) – 352.5b
4. Ariadni Naskari (AO Ariston Peanias) – 340b
5. Aspasia Karabasis (AO Ariston Peanias) – 287.5b

Men’s swords

1. Dimitris Kafataridis (AO Ariston Peanias) – 490b
2. Panagiotis Kontoidis (AEK) – 335b
3. Thomas-Avraam Grollios (Aris Thessaloniki) – 330b
4. Yannis Priftis (AO Ariston Paanias) – 290b
5. Gy-Giorgos Leoton (Aris Thessaloniki) – 287.5b