Dubai: Former world number three fencer Ewa Nelip is targeting “any kind of medal” at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after winning the Epee gold at the fencing competition of the Nad Al Sheda (NAS) Sports Tournament that concluded at the Nas Sports Complex late on Wednesday.
Nelip sparred with good friend and fellow Polish fencer Danuta Dmowska Andrzejuk before winning 15-11 to take the gold. The bronze went to Nardin Botrous after she defeated Aya Mahdi 15-10 in an all-Egyptian duel.
“This is the final competition of the season for most of us and it feels good to come and win the best medal here before taking a break for the summer. After the break, I will start my preparations for Tokyo 2020 and it is there that I want to excel and bring home any colour of medal,” Nelip told Gulf News.
“I’ve been telling myself that I can achieve anything I want to. I have been building on my confidence and this medal here will only add to that. I feel good and I am healthy. Now I have to think of what I need to do to get a medal at the next Olympic Games,” said the 29-year-old from Warsaw, a smile lighting up her face.
As a child, Nelip always wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a volleyball player. However, one day as a fifth grader she saw a poster in a shop advertising for fencing classes at the nearby club and recalls being “hooked” to the sport. “I’ve not stopped since then, and the only thought has been to win an Olympic medal, no matter what colour,” she said.
Her first major achievement was a team silver at the 2009 Antalya World Championship. She followed that up with an epee gold at the 2010 European Championships in Leipzig, Germany, due to which she was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit in Poland the following year. However, in 2013 Nelip underwent shoulder surgery that set her back a bit. But the fighter that she is, she returned stronger and picked up an individual silver at the 2017 World Championships in Leipzig, Germany that helped her peak at No.3 on the FIE Rankings. She is currently ranked World No.5.
“Even if I can maintain my ranking at No.5 by 2019 means I am on the right track for a medal in Tokyo,” Nelip said.
“I’ve had an amazing season and the next few months are going to be crucial for me and my career. I want to eventually settle down, but the goal right now is to take things one step at a time and hopefully the puzzle will fall in place,” she added.
A future in coaching is always an option for Nelip especially after she served as a coach during the 2014-’15 season for the fencing team at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, USA, where she majored in Finance. “Of course, coaching is always an option for me. But for now, it is one baby step at a time,” she reckons.
Other big winners on the night included Hamad Al Jallaf from Bani Yas Club, who came up with a last-ditch 15-14 win over Egypt’s Abdul Rahman Haffour for the men’s foil gold, while Sharjah Women’s Sports Club’s Latifa Al Hossani defeated Sudan’s Shoug Hamad from Bani Yas Club 15-5 to win the women’s foil event.
Meanwhile, defending champions Surprise ended with a consolation third place in the volleyball tournament with a 3-1 (30-28, 25-21, 19-25, 25-9) win over Spinneys in the third-place play-off.
RESULTS
Women’s Foil Emirati: Latifa Al Hossani (Sharjah Women’s Sports Club) bt Shoug Hamad (Bani Yas Club) 15-5; Third place: Ashwaq Al Messabi bt Azza Besbes 15-8.
Women’s Epee International: Ewa Nelip (Poland) bt Danuta Dmowska-Andrzejuk (Poland) 15-11; Third place: Nardin Botrous bt Aya Mahdi 15-10.
Women’s Saber International: Azza Besbes (Tunisia) x Marleen Buitenhuis (Netherlands) 15-6; Third place: Amira Ben Chaaban bt Shoug Hamad 15-11.
Men’s Foil Emirati: Hamad Al Jallaf (Bani Yas Club) bt Abdul Rahman Haffour (Egypt) 15-14; Third place: Nahyan Al Azzizi bt Khalifa Al Zarouni 15-13.
Men’s Epee International: Randy Postma (Netherlands) bt Mohammad Rezaie (Iran) 15-9; Third place: Elmir Alimzhanov (Kazakhstan) bt Mohammad Ali Keyhani (Iran) 15-10.
Men’s Saber Emirati: Ali Al Hammadi (Bani Yas Club) bt Anas Al Nobani (Jordan) 15-8; Third place: Mohammad Rebai bt Khalifa Al Ebri 15-8.
Volleyball third place: Surprise bt Spinneys 3-1 (30-28, 25-21, 19-25, 25-9).
