TOKYO, July 26. /TASS/. Russia’s Sofia Pozdnyakova triumphed over her compatriot Sofya Velikaya on Monday night to clinch the gold of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in women’s saber fencing individual event.
Pozdnyakova, 24, edged out her merited opponent Velikaya in the clash for the Olympic gold with the final score of 15-11. Sofya Velikaya is the 2016 Olympics Champion in saber fencing team event.
Pozdnyakova is the 2018 World Champion in individual competitions and the silver medalist of the 2019 World Championships. She is also the two-time winner of the European championship in team events.
"I am very glad that we have contributed two Olympic medals with Sofya Velikaya into the pot of the national Olympic medals during these uneasy times," Pozdnyakova said addressing a news conference.
"This is so cool and it seems now as if I knew how the things would turn out but never thought about that," she added.
"I had a prophetic dream recently," Pozdnyakova continued. "Three or four days ago I was dreaming that we were with other female fencing fighters in a room, when Sofya Velikaya joined us opening a huge box in her hands saying ‘I’m in the second place again’."
"It turned out to be a prophetic dream," she continued. "I’ve also dreamt about being accommodated in the same room with French athletes and I was not allowed to visit my husband."
"So many dreams I had experienced during my training camp in Khabarovsk [in Russia’s Far East]," Pozdnyakova said. "I’ve been agitated and was preparing [for the Games] at the same time. I tried to isolate myself from everything and I was good at it, since my relatives - father and husband - were always near me."
Commenting on the final bout with Pozdnyakova, Velikaya told journalists that Sofia Pozdnyakova deserved that win.
"Numerous mistakes were on my behalf and Sofia deserved to win that encounter," Velikaya said. "This was a very enjoyable, happy and emotional competition."
"I was agitated, but had no fears and it was wonderful, because it does not chain you," she continued. "The Olympic Games are always full of surprises…"
Today’s gold of Pozdnyakova is the second one for the team of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which started last Friday. On Sunday, Russia’s Vitalina Batsarashkina won gold in women’s 10-meter air pistol competition.
Velikaya, who was the flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Tokyo, and Pozdnyakova previously met each other in the final of the 2018 World Championship, when Pozdnyakova also enjoyed the victory over Velikaya.
Besides winning the gold at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, Velikaya is now the three-time silver medalist of the Olympic Games (2012, 2016, 2020), the eight-time world champion and the 14-time European champion. She declared her comeback to sports in 2017 following maternity leave.
Today’s gold of Pozdnyakova is the second one for the team of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which started last Friday. On Sunday, Russia’s Vitalina Batsarashkina won gold in women’s 10-meter air pistol competition.
The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Japan’s capital of Tokyo are being held this year between July 23 and August 8. In March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan for one year due to the spread of COVID-19.
Russia at Tokyo-2020
On July 6, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) published an approved list of 335 athletes, who were selected to represent the country at the Summer Olympic Games. The Olympic delegation of Russian athletes in Tokyo includes 185 female and 150 male athletes.
Russian athletes are competing in Tokyo under the flag and logo of the Russian National Olympic Committee (ROC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem. The national anthem of Russia is also under sanctions at the Olympics in Japan.