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GOLD: COUTYA CLAIMS FOURTH EUROPEAN TITLE AT CARDIFF 2026

GBR Paralympian Dimitri Coutya claimed his fourth consecutive men’s epee B European title on day two of the Cardiff 2026 Para Fencing European Championships.

7th October 2026 – GBR at a glance:

  • Individual Men’s Epee B: Bronze
  • Individual Women’s Foil B: Bronze

Medal tally: 3 bronze, 1 gold

Four para fencers on a podium, each wearing a medal and smiling to the camera
Image: Luke Simcock

Dimitri Coutya defended his title of European Champion for the fourth time on day two of Cardiff 2026. It also marks the 90th international medal of his career.

Due to his world ranking, Coutya earned a bye into the tableau of 16. In his first direct elimination fight, he defeated Ruslan Zimnitski (NPA) 15-6, moving on to beat Balwinder Cheema (GER) 15-9.

Now in the semi-finals and having secured a medal, Coutya fought Oleg Sukhoteplyi (NPA) to determine its colour. A dominant performance and a 15-6 victory put Coutya into the final against Italy’s Amelio Castro.

Two epee para fencers in action, one representing Italy and GBR
Image: Luke Simcock

A neck-and-neck battle ensued between the two athletes, with Dimitri soon securing the upper hand with a 12-5 lead. Castro was not to be easily outdone, however, and made a series of successive touches to threaten Coutya’s lead. Coutya powered through and closed out the fight 15-13, taking gold and defending his European title.

Image: Luke Simcock

Speaking afterwards, Dimitri said:

“I think for it to be won on home soil is particularly special. I’ve got family here and it’s really important for the profile of the sport in the country. You know, I’ve been working hard for so many years to grow the sport, raise more awareness around it. And you know, we’ve got one of the biggest squads that we’ve ever fielded at a major championship this year round. So you know, for us to come away with at least one title this week is very important.”

On the same day, fellow GBR athlete Justine Moore secured a bronze medal in the Women’s Foil B, bringing GBR’s medal tally to three bronze and one gold medals at the European Championships.

Follow the action in Cardiff:

View the full timetable on the event webpage.

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The event is livestreamed via the World Abilitysport YouTube channel.

Tickets for the event are available to buy here.

Photos will be uploaded to the BF Digital Portal here.

Follow the results via Fencing Time Live here.

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Listen to “Off Piste”, the immersive, accessible audio experience of the event here: