Jana Jegorjan’s husband would not have wanted to let the superstar onto the World Cup stage.
Jana Yegorjan posed next to Vladimir Putin in 2016 after the Rio Olympics. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Russian fencer Jana Yegoryan31, made it to the World Championships in July after much fanfare and won the world championship.
The International Fencing Federation FIE decided just weeks before the Games that Russian and Belarusian fencers will be able to participate in the Games, even if they have a military background.
Yegorjan has posed Vladimir Putin side by side after the Olympic victory in Rio.
But even though the FIE allowed the Russians to enter the World Cup arena, despite the objections of many, Yegorja’s spouse tried to prevent the woman’s trip to Tbilisi, Georgia.
– My husband was worried and said he didn’t want to let me go, Jegorjan reveals to Odds.kz.
The reason was very clear: even in fencing circles, the Russians have had a lot of enemies since the country started a war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022. However, according to Yegorjan, he was well received by the people of the sport at the World Championships.
– I met a lot of caring people – both athletes and coaches who said they were happy to see us. Maybe some were not very happy, but for me it was a pleasure to meet all the old familiar opponents from different countries, says Jegorjan.
During the Games, the woman stayed in a hotel outside of which demonstrations against the Russian athletes were organized.
– The provocations outside the hotel windows did not interest me at all, Jegorjan says.
Yegorjan beat the Pole in the final match By Zuzanna Cieslar with a score of 15–11.