Saber fencer Moritz Schenkel from Dormagen wins bronze at Universiade!

Saber fencer Moritz Schenkel from Dormagen wins bronze at Universiade!

The FISU World University Games, which are currently taking place on the Rhine and in the Ruhr region, are a real highlight for sports enthusiasts. During this major event, formerly known as the Universiade, the best students from around the world compete in a variety of sports.

Particularly pleasing for the local fans: The saber fencer Moritz Schenkel from TSV Bayer Dormagen sensationally managed to win the bronze medal in the individual competition. In an exciting tournament, Schenkel proved that he has the potential to assert himself internationally. His achievement was celebrated by numerous spectators from Dormagen, and the award ceremony was conducted by Max Hartung, former world champion and board member of Deutsche Sporthilfe. Schenkel has not only proven his talent, but also taken a big step in his career as a younger athlete in the junior class, as rp-online.de reports.

Strong competition and impressive fights

But how did Schenkel get his medal? In order to make it into the round of the best 64 in the men's saber competition, he had to assert himself against strong competition. He benefited from a bye and prevailed in the round of 32 against the Hungarian fencer Benedek Vigh 15:13. More impressive victories followed: In the round of 16 he defeated Bexultan Abzahl from Kazakhstan 15:12 and triumphed in the quarterfinals against Jungho Park from South Korea 15:14.

His semi-final, however, was a hard-fought affair in which he lost to South Korea's Sangwon Park. Nevertheless, Schenkel can proudly look back on third place and the well-deserved bronze medal. His teammates Eric Simon Seefeld and Max Laurin Müller also competed bravely, with Müller winning an exciting German-German duel against Seefeld. Müller reached 32nd place after a narrow loss in the round of 32 against Carlos Florez Vargas from Spain, while Seefeld ended up in 33rd place. This shows the high level and the competition is strong with a report from fechten.org.

A look at the history of the FISU Games

The FISU World University Games has a remarkable history dating back to 1959, when the first games were held in Turin. The event has evolved enormously over the years. From the initial 43 participating countries, the number has now increased to 109 countries, with a record participation of 173 countries being achieved in Naples in 2019. The number of sports has also increased from 7 in 1959 to 27 in Kazan 2013, showing how relevant the games have become, as documented by fisu.net.

Moritz Schenkel's bronze medal adds another chapter to the success story of these traditional games. The next generation of top athletes is in full swing, making the sport more attractive, both for participants and spectators. It remains exciting to see what successes can be expected from Dormagen and beyond in the future.