Fencers from 23 countries came to the Russian capital to take part in the prestigious Moscow Sabre tournament. Four-time Olympic champion Stanislav Pozdniakov and world bronze medalist Ekaterina Diatchenko have both won gold medals.

The tournament has been held in Moscow for over 35 years and the world's fencing elite consider winning in it a high honor.

The Olympics being only months away, add to the significance of this year's contest.

RT journalist Roman Kosarev, who has just taken third place in an international tournament for journalists, reported about the 2008 Moscow Sabre.

Women’s final

The women's final was between South Korea's Kim Keum Hwa and Russia's Ekaterina Diatchenko.

The Asian fencer's road to the final was glorious.

In the quarter-finals she defeated the standing world champion Elena Nechaeva and in the semis, the world silver medalist Ukrainian Olga Kharlan.

But the previous bouts seemed to have worn her out and she lost to the 2006 Moscow Sabre winner Ekaterina Diatchenko.

“It’s harder to win the second time around. You have to prove that you are worthy. It’s difficult. But I must say that psychologically I was ready to win. I have worked very hard and gained a lot of experience,” Ekaterina Diatchenko said.

Men’s final

On the men's side, the semi-finals were an entirely Russian affair, with all the foreign competition being eliminated.

22-year-old Nikolay Kovalev became the first finalist after defeating Olympic bronze medalist Aleksey Yakimenko.

His opponent in the final was the most decorated fencer on the planet, Stanislav Pozdniakov who has won Olympic gold four times and the world championship ten times.

So it was experience versus youth. At one point it seemed that youth was taking over but Stanislav Pozdniakov erased all doubts and proved that he is a champion among champions.

“The difference in class and experience between my opponent and me was obviously huge. But this is a final so I had to expect a fierce fight from my opponent and that’s exactly what happened,” Stanislav Pozdniakov said.

Olympic preparations

While the Russian women's team have already qualified for the summer games in Beijing, the men are still struggling.

Their fate will be decided at the two remaining world cup stages preceding the Olympics.