Imagen
A picture of a Wheelchair Fencer celebrating her victory

Zsuzsanna Krajnyak

Wheelchair Fencing
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Zsuzsanna Krajnyak already ranks as one of the great female wheelchair fencers, even with an entire load of victories potentially still ahead of her.

A well-known sporting figure in her native Hungary, Krajnyak is an experienced competitor having taken part in five Paralympic Games and taken medals home from four of them, however the gold medal still eludes her.

She was hoping Rio 2016 would be her break. But the Hungarian fencer lost to Hong Kong's Yu Chui Yee in the semifinals of the women's individual foil category A, putting her in the bronze medal bout, which she won.

Krajnyak also helped Hungary take silver in the team foil and team epee events.

At her first Games in Sydney in 2000, Krajnyak won bronze medals in both the category A epee and foil disciplines.

This achievement was very nearly repeated four years later at Athens 2004, with Krajnyak winning bronze with the epee before narrowly losing the bronze-medal match in the foil competition to Patricia Picot of France. However, there was to be another medal, with Krajnyak part of the Hungarian line-up that won silver in the women’s team foil and bronze in the team epee events.

Beijing 2008 was the only Paralympic Games in her career where Krajnyak has not made the podium, missing out by the narrowest of margins in a 15-14 defeat to Hong Kong’s Fan Pui Shan in the category A epee bronze-medal match.

In the lead-up to London 2012, Krajnyak looked in imperious form. In the 2011 European Championships held in Sheffield, Great Britain, she took home an incredible four gold medals across individual and team competition.

At the Games in London, this form looked set to continue with Krajnyak’s performances as strong as ever, but a 15-6 to lossYu in the final of the category epee discipline meant that a first gold medal remained out of reach.

In the epee event, Krajnyak secured the bronze medal after defeating compatriot Veronika Juhasz. The two then joined Dani Gyongi to form the team that won silver in the women’s team open event.

The 2013 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, were not the most successful for Krajnyak, who left without an individual medal. She did however take home two bronze medals with the team in the women’s foil and the women’s epee.

Krajnyak returned to individual success a year later, taking the gold medal in the women’s foil at the European Championships in Strasbourg, France.

At the 2015 World Championships in Eger, Hungary, Krajnyak made it to the women’s foil final once again, where she was beaten by China’s Chuncui Zhang.

Krajnyak has previously said that despite her long career in the sport, she still loves the buzz of competition. The consistently strong results are not achieved easily however, and she admits that it is the support of her family and coaches that help keep her mentally strong through a tough training regime that involves training sessions of between two and three hours at least once, and often twice, per day.

The Hungarian star’s success extends beyond the piste as well. She is active in a number of initiatives to support people with impairments and has been recognised by the Hungarian Olympic Committee for special services to Paralympic sport.

Rio 2016 will be Krajnyak’s fifth Paralympic Games and whatever happens there, she can look back on a phenomenal career in wheelchair fencing. One senses, however, that her desire to crown these achievements with that elusive gold medal at the Paralympic Games is stronger than ever.

Results

Unit Date Rank
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Beijing, China)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Foil Individual A Quarterfinal 303
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 4
Women's Foil Individual A Pool B 15
Women's Foil Individual A Pool B 14
Women's Foil Individual A Pool B 12
Women's Foil Individual A Pool B 9
Women's Foil Individual A Pool B 5
Women's Epee Individual A Bronze Medal Match 102
Women's Epee Individual A Semifinal 201
Women's Epee Individual A Quarterfinal 302
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 15
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 13
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 11
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 8
Athens 2004 Paralympic Games (Athens, Greece)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Epee Team Semifinal 202
Women's Epee Team Quarterfinal 303
Women's Epee Individual A Bronze Medal Match 102
Women's Epee Individual A Semifinal 201
Women's Epee Individual A Quarterfinal 301
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 5
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 4
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 3
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 2
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 1
Women's Foil Team Gold Medal Match 101
Women's Foil Team Semifinal 202
Women's Epee Team Gold Medal Match 101
Women's Foil Team Quarterfinal 303
Women's Foil Individual A Bronze Medal Match 102
Women's Foil Individual A Semifinal 202
Women's Foil Individual A Quarterfinal 303
Women's Foil Individual A Pool C 4
Women's Foil Individual A Pool C 3
Women's Foil Individual A Pool C 2
Women's Foil Individual A Pool C 1
Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games (Sydney, Australia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 3
Women's Foil Team Bronze Medal Match 102
Women's Foil Team Semifinal 201
Women's Foil Team Quarterfinal 301
Women's Foil Individual A Bronze Medal Match 102
Women's Foil Individual A Semifinal 202
Women's Foil Individual A Quarterfinal 303
Women's Foil Individual A 1/8th final 403
Women's Foil Individual A Pool C 4
Women's Foil Individual A Pool C 3
Women's Foil Individual A Pool C 2
Women's Foil Individual A Pool C 1
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 6
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 8
Women's Epee Individual A Pool B 10
Women's Epee Team Bronze Medal Match 102
Women's Epee Team Semifinal 202
Women's Epee Team Quarterfinal 302
Women's Epee Individual A Bronze Medal Match 102
Women's Epee Individual A Semifinal 201
Women's Epee Individual A Quarterfinal 301
London 2012 Paralympic Games (London, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Foil Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-04 11
Women's Foil Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-04 13
Women's Foil Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-04 15
Women's Foil Individual Cat. A Quarterfinal 2012-09-04 302
Women's Foil Individual Cat. A Semifinal 2012-09-04 201
Women's Foil Individual Cat. A Final Round 2012-09-04 102
Women's Foil Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-04 8
Women's Foil Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-04 4
Women's Epee Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-05 3
Women's Epee Individual Cat. A Gold Medal Match 2012-09-05 101
Women's Epee Individual Cat. A Semifinal 2012-09-05 201
Women's Epee Individual Cat. A Quarterfinal 2012-09-05 301
Women's Epee Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-05 14
Women's Epee Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-05 13
Women's Epee Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-05 10
Women's Epee Individual Cat. A Pool A 2012-09-05 7
Women's Epee Team Cat. Open Gold Medal Match 2012-09-07 101
Women's Epee Team Cat. Open Semifinal 2012-09-07 202
Women's Epee Team Cat. Open Quarterfinal 2012-09-07 304
Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Pool 2 - Standings 2016-09-13 3
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Pool 2 2016-09-13 13
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Pool 2 2016-09-13 11
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Pool 2 2016-09-13 10
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Pool 2 2016-09-13 4
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Pool 2 2016-09-13 3
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Quarterfinal 2016-09-13 2
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Semifinal 2016-09-13 1
Women's Individual Epee Cat. A Bronze Medal Match 2016-09-13 2
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Pool 1 - Standings 2016-09-14 3
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Pool 1 2016-09-14 13
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Pool 1 2016-09-14 11
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Pool 1 2016-09-14 10
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Pool 1 2016-09-14 4
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Bronze Medal Match 2016-09-14 2
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Semifinal 2016-09-14 1
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Quarterfinal 2016-09-14 2
Women's Individual Foil Cat. A Pool 1 2016-09-14 3
Women's Epee Team Bronze Medal Match 2016-09-15 2
Women's Epee Team Semifinal 2016-09-15 2
Women's Epee Team Pool 1 2016-09-15 2
Women's Epee Team Pool 1 - Standings 2016-09-15 2
Women's Epee Team Pool 1 2016-09-15 1
Women's Foil Team Pool 1 2016-09-16 3
Women's Foil Team Pool 1 2016-09-16 1
Women's Foil Team Semifinal 2016-09-16 2
Women's Foil Team Gold Medal Match 2016-09-16 1
Women's Foil Team Pool 1 - Standings 2016-09-16 2