By Kirill Karin
The leader of the Belarusian team, Dmitry Lapkes, was taking part in the prestigious Moscow Sabre tournament for the 15th time in a row. In 2002, he won bronze and, in 2007, was placed second. “This event is always very challenging; it gathers top athletes of world ranking,” commented the captain of the Belarusian national sabre squad just beforehand.
In the personal event at the Moscow World Cup round, Alexander Buykevich came close to claiming a medal; sadly, in the quarter-finals, formidable Russian Alexey Yakimenko, ardently supported by local fans, snatched bronze from the Belarusian fencer.
In the team event, our Belarusians were also beaten by Russia; a narrow gap (45-40) allowed them to take bronze, smashing the elite team of Italy. Veterans Lapkes and Buykevich were aided by young and promising Alexey Likhachevsky, who won two matches.