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Sabre Fencer Misaki Emura Triumphs at the Tunis Grand Prix

In the first Grand Prix fencing competition of 2025, two-time world champion Misaki Emura defeated Italian foe Michela Battiston 15-12 in the title match.

by
Ed Odeven
January 14, 2025

Two-time Olympian Misaki Emura captured the women's sabre gold medal at the Tunis Grand Prix on Sunday, January 12.

Emura outpointed Italy's world No 11 Michela Battiston 15-12 in the title match at Sports Hall of Rades.

It was the first match between Emura and Battiston since the Nuoma Grand Prix in Orleans, France, in December 2023, a match the Japanese standout won 15-11. They first competed in the junior ranks in December 2014 in Dormagen, Germany.

In Tunisia, a total of 136 women competed in the three-day tournament.

Emura, a two-time world champion (2022 and '23), advanced to the championship match by beating Sarah Noutcha of France 15-9 in their semifinal showdown.

Sunday's title in the Tunisian capital was Emura's first in an International Fencing Federation Grand Prix event. She previously earned a trio of third-place Grand Prix finishes, including at the Tunis event in 2023.

"I'm very happy to finally be able to win a Grand Prix title and to have the experience of winning for the first time in a long time," Emura was quoted as saying by Jiji Press.

At the Paris Olympics, Emura and men's breaking participant Shigekix (given name Shigeyuki Nakarai) represented Japan as the national team's flag bearers at the opening ceremony. Emura earned a bronze medal in the Olympic women's team competition after a disappointing second-round exit in the individual sabre tourney.

A former top-ranked sabre fencer, Emura is currently ranked No 2 in the world in her event.

Up Next for Misaki Emura

The Fencing World Cup women's sabre competition is scheduled from January 23-25 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. There are five World Cup events held each year.

Since earning her first medal (a silver) in 2018 in Baltimore, Misaki Emura has collected one gold, two silver and three bronze in World Cup events.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.