KIT Fencers Win Three Medals at DHM
KIT fencers held their own at an extremely successful German University Championships on the last weekend of April, securing a medal in each of the three weapons. The fencers performed excellently and especially the beginners, who are new to the sport, surprised with their great performances.
The university sports group fencing took every athlete, so KIT could provide at least one men's and one women's team in each discipline. Thus, it started with a total of eight teams in sabre, epee, and foil. Only the WG Aachen had more teams, which should not be a big problem as the organizer.
After the KIT banner was hoisted as the first official act on Saturday morning, the two teams in men's epee impressed early with strong performances. The first men's epee team fought their way into the semifinals in a relaxed and good-humored manner, where they were only narrowly defeated by the eventual title winners from the University of Cologne in an exciting battle. Thanks to their strong performance, the team consisting of Fabian Lansche, Martin Hartmann and Johannes Müller secured third place and bronze. The advanced team in men's epee also impressed and placed well.
The teams in men's sabre and women's foil both consisted of advanced players and exceeded all expectations. The men just missed a place on the podium and the women had to admit defeat in an extremely exciting battle against Mainz.
After the evening barbecue, a big party was on the agenda. Regardless of the fact that the fencers had spent the whole day in the sports hall, they stormed the dance floor and put on just as good a performance there as they did on the planche.
After partying, it was back to fencing early the next day. Undisturbed by the evening's festivities, the Degen ladies performed impressively, winning many fights and earning a good 5th place.
Men's foil team in the semifinals
The first men's foil team with Manuel Baptista, Alexander Kraus, Johannes Müller and Martin Hartmann beat one opposing team after the other without any problems and thus easily reached the semi-finals. There they had to admit defeat in a nerve-racking battle against the strong fencers of the University of Konstanz, who finally took the title in the final. The men's foil team won the second bronze medal for Karlsruhe. The second men's foil team with fencers from the advanced course also did well and placed in the upper midfield.
The women's sabre team also managed to secure a place on the podium with surprisingly good performances. Andrea Miksch, Erika Barcena Perez, Carolin Lebek, and Elisabeth Brzoska thus won the third bronze medal in the third discipline for KIT.
"Three times bronze, one medal for each weapon. This reflects our high level of training in all three disciplines. We are proud that our success is so broad. Moreover, it is the biggest sporting success at a DHM team in fencing for KIT ever!", enthused chairman of the fan city fencers Johannes Müller.
Throughout the tournament, the hall was swarming with KIT fencers, easily recognizable by their green socks. Whenever they were not fencing themselves, they cheered loudly for their teams and cheered along. This team spirit, together with lots of fun and the good placements made the DHM 2016 a complete success for the KIT fencers.
The results:
Men's foil (22 teams): 3rd KIT 1 (Manuel Baptista, Alexander Kraus, Johannes Müller, Martin Hartmann), 11th KIT 2 (Johannes Fries, Hauke Jiménez Reichow, Daniel Hilbert, Matthias Schmidt).
Men's epee (22 teams): 3rd KIT 1 (Martin Hartmann, Fabian Lansche, Johannes Müller),
21st KIT 2 (Alexander Kraus, Thomas Barteit, Daniel Hilbert)
Men's sabre (7 teams): 5th KIT 1 (Erich Bretnütz, Johannes Fries, Matthias Schmidt).
Women's foil (12 teams): 11th KIT 1 (Elisabeth Brzoska, Carolin Lebek, Chantal Brandstetter)
Women's epee (15 teams): 5th KIT 1 (Katja Kaltenbach, Ece Yalçin, Michaela Sassadeck).
Women's Sabre (5 teams): 3rd KIT 1 (Andrea Miksch, Erika Barcena Perez, Carolin Lebek, Elisabeth Brzoska).