MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. Saber-fencer Sophia Velikaya has been named the best Russian athlete in 2015. The announcement was made at an Olympic ball in the Manege exhibition hall in front of the Kremlin.

"It’s a great honor for me to find myself among the elite, among the great athletes," Velikaya said. "For me, the year 2015 was really great. Also, I’d like to perform at the Olympic Games in Rio."

Sophia Velikaya, 30, has two gold medals in the individual and team tournaments that were held in Moscow this year. Also, she won silver at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and is a seven-times champion of the world and a nine-times champion of Europe.