Chinese women's saber team ends 14-year World Cup gold drought in Heraklion

China's women's saber team clinched the gold medal at the International Fencing Federation (FIE) World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, on Sunday, marking their first triumph at the tournament since 2011.

With a young squad featuring 26-year-old Fu Ying and three promising athletes born in the 2000s – Rao Xueyi, Zhang Xinyi, and Wei Jiayi – the Chinese team showcased their skills and determination throughout the competition. After a first-round bye, China eased past Italy 45-36 and then edged the 2024 Paris Olympic champions Ukraine and silver medalists South Korea both 45-40 to reach the final.

In the title showdown against France, Fu established an early lead before the match evolved into a nail-biting duel. Trailing by one point entering the final bout, 20-year-old Rao staged a stunning comeback by scoring four consecutive points to seal a 45-42 victory.

"I'm very happy to win the championship. We faced tough opponents today, but we didn't give up. Regardless of being ahead or behind, we approached each point with seriousness," said Rao, who earlier this season claimed individual gold at the Budapest Junior World Cup. The rising star also anchored China's Asian Championship team title in 2024.

"We executed our preparations perfectly today. This gold reflects our collective dedication in training," said Fu, who celebrated her maiden world title.

Zhang, another member of the 2024 Asian champions team, reached the quarterfinals at January's Plovdiv World Cup. Substitute Wei, 21, earned a spot in the senior training squad after winning last season's Junior World Cup individual title in Segovia, Spain.

The team's resurgence follows the appointment of French coach Cyril Verbrackel following frustrating results at the Paris Olympics. The 40-year-old had previously led French teams to multiple successes, including a team silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.