Published on 31 March 2025 Bulgaria’s top fencer Yoana Ilieva won a bronze medal in sabre at the Fencing World Cup tournament held in Cairo, Egypt. The NSA student has now reached the podium in all five events of the most prestigious fencing circuit so far this season. In this year's World Cup, Ilieva has one title from the Plovdiv tournament, along with one silver and three bronze medals. The tournament in Cairo featured 181 competitors, including the biggest names in women’s sabre. Coached by Ivaylo Vodenov, Ilieva entered directly into the round of 64 due to her ranking as No. 4 in the world. In her first elimination bout, Ilieva won convincingly 15:7 against Italy’s Maria Clementina Poli. In the round of 16, she defeated France’s Toscan Torri 15:10. She then advanced with a victory over another French fencer, Caroline Queroli, 11:6, as her opponent withdrew. In the quarterfinal match, Ilieva overcame Spain’s Lucia Martin-Portugues 15:11. The NSA student was then narrowly defeated by Greece’s Despina Georgiadou 12:15 in the semifinals, earning the bronze medal. Another national team member, Borislava Ivanova, finished in 46th place in the final rankings. Photo: BNT | 