Five days after dedicating her bronze medal in the individual sabre event to the Ukrainian people, Olha Kharlan had an Olympic gold to give them following victory over South Korea to claim the sabre team event.
It was a final fit for the splendour of the surroundings in the nave of the Grand Palais. And a personal performance that will further enhance Kharlan's legend at home and sing down the ages to the country's fencers.
Kharlan, the most decorated member of the team with multiple world championships and Olympic medals, gave her side a 5-3 advantage after the first relay against Eunhye Jeon.
By the time Kharlan came out for the fifth relay, South Korea were leading 20-14. At the end of her next intervention, South Korea were ahead 25-23.
Thus inspired, Yuliia Bakastova and Alina Komashchuk managed to prevent another huge deficit.
But even when Kharlan went into the final relay, South Korea led 40-37.
Everything is possible
Kharlan reined in Hayoung Jeon to 40-40 but Jeon nosed in front again to lead 42-41.
But that was as good as it got for Jeon and South Korea. Kharlan scored the next four points to take her personal tally in the final up to 22, Ukraine to 45 points and glory.
"When I went in I was thinking everything is possible," said Kharlan. "And I just fenced. I told myself that I was going to enjoy this moment and went for it."
It was her sixth medal at her fifth Olympic Games.
In 2008 in Beijing, she won gold in the sabre team event.
Haul
Four years later in London, she won bronze in the individual event and has picked up bronze in Rio where she won silver in the team event.
And she almost didn't make it to the Olympics. After her victory over the Russian fencer Anna Smirnova at the world championships in July 2023, Kharlan refused to acknowledge Smirnova because of the war between the two countries.
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Kharlan was disqualified from the competition and faced a ban from the Olympic Games. The threat was eventually lifted.
"She knows what she can do," said Bakastova of Kharlan's performance.
"It helps alot when she says something because she knows a lot and I know that it's important."
Disappointment
The triumph brought a geopolitically charged ending to a session that started with disappointment for the partisans.
On Saturday afternoon, Manon Apithy-Brunet, Sara Balzer who won gold and silver respectively in the individual event and Cecilia Berder came through their first match easily against Algeria 45-28 to set up a semi- final against South Korea who had disposed of the United States 45-35.
The South Koreans were just as methodical against the French who did not lead at any point during the 39-minute tie which ended 45-40.
While the victors advanced to a showdown against Ukraine, defeat at least led to the possibility of redemption in the bronze medal match against Japan.
A rousing rendition of the French national anthem La Marseillaise accompanied the arrival of the France team comprising Sarah Noutcha along with Apithy-Brunet and Balzer.
Chance
Apithy-Brunet edged the first relay 5-4 against Misaki Emura and Balzer consolidated to set up France up with a 10-7 advantage.
Seri Ozaki crushed Noutcha to overturn the deficit and give Japan the lead 15-13 after the third relay.
A few minutes later in the fifth relay, Noutcha atoned for her sins to offer France a 25-23 lead.
Balzer kept the French ahead by one following the sixth relay at 30-29. But in the seventh, Noutcha collapsed.
Risa Takashima scored six unanswered points to make it 35-30 to Japan.
Not even the ballast of raucous screaming nor another lusty rendition of La Marseillaise could push Apithy-Brunet or Balzer to recovery.
"It's a disappointment," said Balzer. "The fact that I got gold and Sara got silver doesn't mean anything," added Apithy-Brunet.
"We wanted to get another medal for ourselves and for the other girls and we haven't done that. We were fourth."
