Iranian fencer moves up four spots in world fencing rankings

Iranian sabre fencer Mojtaba Abedini Shourmasti has jumped four places in the latest International Fencing Federation rankings, moving within the top 20 athletes in the overall standing.

According to the latest rankings released by the Federation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the 31-year-old moved up from the 22nd slot of the table to land in the 18th place, thanks to his convincing performances at the 2015 Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Grand Prix Boston, the United States.

The ranking is of great significance given the fact that the top 14 fencers in the overall standing will qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics that will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 5-21.

Abedini Shourmasti secured a place in the table of 32 at the Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Grand Prix Boston after beating Russian opponent Ilya Motorin 15-13.

He, however, conceded an 11-15 defeat to Alexy Yakimenko of Russia in the next competition, and finished in the 22nd place.

The Iranian men's sabre team has collected 197 points and occupies the ninth place, according to the latest FIE rankings.

Italy’s tally of points stands at 340, putting the team at the top of the chart. The Italians are followed by Russian and German opponents with 336 and 312 points, respectively.

The United States has claimed the fourth place with 299 points, while France is in the fifth slot with 267.

On June 30, the Iranian national sabre team, comprising Mojtaba Abedini, Ali Pakdaman, Mohammad Rahbari and Farzad Baher Arasbaran, conceded a 37-45 defeat to South Korea in the men's team final contests of the 2015 Asian Fencing Championships (AFC) to finish as the vice champion.

China emerged triumphant in the third-place match, and rolled past Kazakhstan to pick up the bronze.

Sabre is a light cutting and thrusting weapon in the sport of fencing. In the sabre section, the entire body above the waist, except the weapon hand, is targeted. Hits with the entire blade or point are valid. Touches that land outside of the target area are not scored.

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