Historic bronze: Mykolaiv foilist Alina Polozyuk stepped onto the podium at the European Championships
Although Ukraine was not regarded as a favorite - it is now on the European podium for the first time
Mykolaiv athlete Alina Polozyuk, as part of the Ukrainian women’s foil team, won the bronze medal at the European Championships. The award became the first in the history of Ukrainian women’s foil in team events at the continental championships. The Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration reported on the athlete’s notable achievement on 21 June 2026.
The European Fencing Championships are being held from 16 to 21 June 2026 in the French town of Antony. The Ukrainian national team includes 24 fencers: 12 women and 12 men. Ukrainian athletes are representing the country in 3 weapons — foil, sabre and épée.
Representative of the Mykolaiv region, Alina Polozyuk, competed in the women’s team foil event. Joining her in the Ukrainian quartet were Daria Mironiuk, Olga Sopit and Kristina Petrova. The Ukrainian foilists began their tournament with a victory over Moldova in the round of 16. The match ended with a score of 45:31 in favor of Ukraine.
In the quarterfinal the Ukrainians faced Hungary. The contest remained even for a long time, but the Ukrainian team managed to create an advantage and won with a score of 45:39.
In the semifinal confrontation Ukraine lost to the reigning European champions and world No. 1 — the team of Italy. The match ended with a score of 22:45.
In the bronze medal match the Ukrainians’ opponents were representatives of Spain. The Ukrainian foilists seized the initiative early in the meeting and did not allow their rivals to take the lead. The outcome of the bronze match proved to be extremely tense. The Ukrainian team held a minimal advantage and defeated the Spanish with a score of 37:36.
As a result of the team events, the gold medals were won by Italy, the silver medals went to France, and Ukraine took 3rd place. The bronze medalists at the continental championships were Alina Polozyuk, Daria Mironiuk, Olga Sopit and Kristina Petrova.
The result of the Ukrainian team was historic. Previously the Ukrainian women’s foil team had not finished higher than 5th place in team events at the European Championships. Thus, the bronze in Antony became the first team medal for Ukrainian foilists in the entire history of senior continental championships.
At the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration they congratulated Alina Polozyuk, the other members of the national team and the coaching staff on the remarkable result, thanking the athletes for proudly representing the Mykolaiv region and Ukraine on the international stage.“`html
Previously we wrote:
- Seven medals for Mykolaiv: para-fencers performed brilliantly at the Ukrainian Championships
- Foils and sabres did it again: Mykolaiv athletes return from Kyiv with medals
- Mykolaiv children once again reminded the capital how to fence
- The world saw the strength of Mykolaiv: our para-fencers took five medals in Budapest
- Full set of medals: Mykolaiv once again made itself known across the country
