Victoria Lim is second Singaporean fencer to qualify for Round of 64 at World Championships

SINGAPORE — Victoria Ann Lim has become the second Singaporean after Amita Berthier to make it to the Direct Elimination Round of 64 at the World Fencing Championships in Leipzig, Germany.


The 28 year-old epeeist started her journey on Thursday (July 20) by winning three of her six Poule matches, notching victories against fencers from Australia, Cameroon and Brazil. 


Lim then defeated Sweden’s Emilie Mumm 15-13 in her elimination bout to clinch her place in the final field of 64 fencers for the knockout brackets which will start on Sunday.


She is the first-ever Singaporean to make the final 64 in Women's Epee at the World Fencing Championships, and will be up against world No 4 Rossella Fiamingo of Italy on Sunday.


Bernardette Lee and Rania Rahardja also survived the Poules but were eliminated by German and Venezuelan opponents respectively.


On Monday, 16-year-old Amita became the first Singaporean fencer to reach the Round of 64 of the World Championships.

The former Singapore Sports School student, who moved to Boston late last year to train with her coach, Ralf Bissdorf, booked her place in the Women’s Foil Individual Round of 64 after compiling a perfect six-win record in the Poules.

She chalked similar 5-3 victories against two Olympians, Japan’s Shiho Nishioka (world No 22) — a two-time Olympian who finished in the top 16 in Rio — and Do Thi Ahn (61) of Vietnam. She also posted wins over Poland’s Martyna Jelinska, Maria Boldor of Romania, Thailand’s Ploypailin Thongchampa and Kumari Rama Singh to emerge at the top of her group.

Amita will face Hong Kong’s world No 72 Liu Yan Wai in the women’s foil round of 64 on Friday.


Singapore’s all-time best result at the World Fencing Championships is a 42nd place for Men’s Epeeist Samson Lee in 2015, while Wang Wenying finished 43rd in Women’s Foil.