Between April 26-28, the European Olympic qualification tournament will be held in Luxembourg in which the last 6 available tickets for Paris will be given to the sportsmen and women 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 (read the qualification process here).
The Hellenic Fencing Federation set in May and June 2023 the internal selection process for the representation of our country in the Luxembourg tournament (you can see them here and here), 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 will participate in an Olympic qualification tournament, representing our country in the men’s dueling sword, the women’s dueling sword and the men’s epee, respectively. It should be noted that in the men’s dueling sword Nikos 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.
Here are the entry lists for the event, the three-day schedule and the top five scores in each weapon after the internal selection process has been completed:
The program
Friday 26/4
11:00 – Men’s sword exercise – pool Nikos Kontochristopoulos
13:00 – Women’s dueling sword – pool | Nefeli Rodopoulou
17:30 – Men’s sword exercise – 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 sculls – men’s | Dimitris Kafataridis
12:00 – Women’s sword exercise – poul | Katerina Kontochristopoulou
17:30 – Men’s sabers – semi-finals
18:30 – Women’s sword exercise – semi-finals
20:00 – Men’s sabers – 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:
Men’s Exercise Sword:
1. Nikos Kontochristopoulos (AOX Aegaleo) – 525b
2. Raphael Soulios (VALUE) – 362.5b
3. Artemios Tzovanis (AOX Aegaleo) – 347.5b
4. Yiannis Tsimiklis (GEF) – 305b
5. Giorgos Manolikas (VALUE) – 305b
Women’s Exercise Sword:
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
1. 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. Nikol 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 Kontoideis (AEK) – 335b
3. Thomas-Avraam Grollios (Aris Thessaloniki) – 330b
4. Yiannis Priftis (AO Ariston Paanias) – 290b
5. Gy-Giorgos Leoton (Aris Thessaloniki) – 287.5b//GR.
