Second Singapore fencer, Kiria Tikanah, qualifies for Tokyo Olympics
Kiria will compete in the women’s epee event at the Tokyo Olympics, which begins on Jul 23.
Singapore will have two fencers competing at the Tokyo Olympics after 20-year-old Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman won the women’s epee event at the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Monday (Apr 26).
Kiria, an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, defeated Kazakhstan’s Ulyana Balaganskaya 15-13 in the finals to clinch qualification.
She is the second Singaporean in as many days to do so, after Amita Berthier won the women’s foil event a day earlier.
The Singapore National Olympics Council (SNOC) took to Instagram to celebrate Kiria’s achievement, calling it “a historical moment”.
“We are thrilled to share that Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman has beat Balaganskaya Ulyana from KAZ (15-13) and is also going on to the Tokyo Olympics to represent Singapore,” said SNOC in its post.
“We now have two Singaporean fencers representing the country, a historical moment indeed.”
Kiria, ranked 207th in the world, is the reigning SEA Games gold medallist in the epee event, having won it in 2019.
The Tokyo Olympic Games is due to begin on Jul 23, after it was postponed by a year because of COVID-19.
