Kazakhstan Fencing: Men’s Team Tops World Épée Rankings for the First Time

Kazakhstan's men's épée fencing team has topped the International Fencing Federation (FIE) world rankings for the first time in the country's history. The team climbed to No. 1 after winning the first World Cup event of the 2026/27 season in Casablanca, Morocco, on October 18, defeating France in the semifinals and Russia in the final. According to Kazakhstan's National Olympic Committee, the team had 354 points in the updated FIE rankings. France is second with 310 points, followed by Switzerland with 296, Italy with 286, and Ukraine with 280. Before the start of the season, Kazakhstan had been ranked third, behind Switzerland and France. Before the Casablanca victory, the Kazakh team had won four major international titles in the past 12 months. In November 2025, the épée fencers won gold at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In June 2026, they became Asian champions in New Delhi, India, and a month later claimed gold at the World Championships in Hong Kong. In September, Kazakhstan won the team event at the Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan. The Kazakh fencers opened with victories over Turkey, 45–20, and Hong Kong, 45–28. They then defeated Egypt in the quarterfinals before beating France, one of the traditional powers in international fencing, 45–39 in the semifinals. In the final, Kazakhstan faced Russia. The Kazakh team maintained a narrow lead throughout the match and secured a 45–40 victory. European teams, including France, Italy, Hungary, and Switzerland, have dominated men's team épée for decades. Among Asian nations, Japan and South Korea had previously reached the top of the world rankings. Kazakhstan has now joined them. Mirbulat Abuov, president of the Fencing Federation of Kazakhstan, praised the team's strength in depth. “What makes this achievement particularly valuable is that we competed in Casablanca with a reshuffled lineup. Kirill Prokhodov, Vadim Sharlaimov, Alexander Fedotov, and Kirill Pavlov took to the piste. Three of them belong to Generation Z, while two of the four reigning world champions missed the tournament. It was with this lineup that we defeated France, a 23-time world champion in men's team épée. This victory confirms that our country has not only strong leaders but also young athletes capable of defeating the world's best teams,” Abuov said.

Kazakhstan’s Ruslan Kurbanov on Reaching the World Fencing Elite

Ruslan Kurbanov is a Kazakhstani épée fencer, a Master of Sport of International Class in Kazakhstan, a World Cup medalist, a two-time World Championships bronze medalist, and a two-time Olympian. He began his journey in a children’s fencing club in Ust-Kamenogorsk and has since risen to fourth in the world rankings. Today, he competes on the biggest stages, where a single touch can decide the outcome of a bout and the pressure from the stands can be overwhelming. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, he explains how he handles that pressure, maintains focus amid crowd noise, and stays in control when everything is at stake. TCA: Congratulations, you’ve already won two World Cup medals this year, gold and silver. That’s an impressive result. Ruslan: Thank you. I’m pleased with these medals because, in reality, very few athletes can deliver consistent results across two consecutive competitions. TCA: How did you manage it? Ruslan: With experience, you gradually learn more about your body and how to prepare for competitions. You also become more familiar with the fencing world, you get to know many athletes, understand their strengths and weaknesses, study them, and prepare accordingly. Over time, you mature as an athlete and become more consistent. You develop a clear understanding of the level of results you are capable of. [caption id="attachment_47744" align="aligncenter" width="300"] @kazfencing.kz[/caption] TCA: You won silver in Astana. Do home conditions give you an advantage? Ruslan: There are two sides to that. On the one hand, the advantages are obvious: you’re at home, with familiar food, climate, and time zone, all of which help you prepare in a comfortable environment. On the other hand, there is pressure. When you compete at home, people expect you to deliver your best result. TCA: So winning a medal was a must? Ruslan: Of course. But I also had another goal. This was the first World Cup event held in Kazakhstan, and I understood that many local spectators would attend, perhaps seeing fencing for the first time. First impressions are crucial. People either fall in love with the sport or they don’t. For me, it was important to present fencing at its best, dynamic, exciting, and worthy. Maybe “present” is too strong a word, but I wanted people, especially children, to feel inspired, to have that spark. When kids see victories and the emotions athletes experience afterward, they start thinking, “I want that too,” and they come into the sport. TCA: Do you think you managed to inspire them? Ruslan: I hope so. After the final, when I stepped off the piste, many children came up to me, and parents asked for photos and autographs. It’s very rewarding to see that it resonated with someone and may have stayed with them. TCA: You were ranked seventh in the world? Ruslan: Now I’m fourth. After the tournament in Astana, I moved up to fourth place. TCA: In the final, you lost only to Ukraine’s Roman Svichkar. Do they have a particularly strong...