Vassiliki Vougiouka ( el, Βασιλική Βουγιούκα; born 20 June 1986, in Cholargos, Athens, Greece), often known as Vaso Vougiouka (Βάσω Βουγιούκα), is a Greek female

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

fencer, silver medallist in the 2012 and 2013 European Championships. She participated at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, in which she was eliminated in the

quarter finals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

, as well as at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Career

Vougiouka took up fencing at the relative late age of 14. She first competed in foil and switched to sabre in 2005. She climbed her first podium in the

Fencing World Cup The FIE Fencing World Cup is an international fencing competition held by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime. In each weapon (Men's and Women's Épée, Sabre and Foil), three Grand Prix, five World Cup events and several satellite events ...

with a gold medal in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

in 2010, the first victory at a World Cup event in the history of the Greek fencing. She made her breakthrough in the 2011–12 season, earning a gold medal in the London World Cup and a bronze medal in the Tianjin Grand Prix. At the European Championships in Legnano, she lost to Ukraine's

Olha Kharlan Olha Hennadiyivna Kharlan ( uk, Ольга Геннадіївна Харлан; born 4 September 1990) is a Ukrainian right-handed sabre fencer. Kharlan is a two-time team European champion, six-time individual European champion, two-time team ...

in the final and took a silver medal. She competed in the individual event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She broke two of her front teeth during her T16 bout when her mask collided with that of Poland's

Aleksandra Socha Aleksandra Anna Socha Shelton (born 30 March 1982) is a Polish sabre fencer, bronze medal in the 2003 World Fencing Championships, European champion in 2004, and European team in 2008. She represented Poland at the time. Career Socha was th ...

. Twenty minutes later she fenced Korea's

Kim Ji-Yeon Kim Ji-yeon (Hangul: 김지연; or ; born 12 March 1988) is a South Korean left-handed sabre fencer. Kim is a five-time team Asian champion and four-time individual Asian champion. A three-time Olympian, Kim is a 2021 team Olympic bronz ...

in the quarter-final. The pain from her injury forced her to keep her mouth shut, which impeded her breathing. After taking an 8–3 lead she was eventually defeated 12–15 and finished 5th. She finished the season No.5 in world rankings. For her Olympic performance, she was named best athlete of the year by the Greek press. In the 2012–13 season she took a bronze medal in the Antalya World Cup and the Moscow Grand Prix. She claimed her second continental silver medal in a row at the European Championships in Zagreb, losing again to Olha Kharlan in the final. At the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in Budapest Vougiouka was stopped in the quarter-finals to Italy's Irene Vecchi. In the 2013–14 season she won a bronze medal in the Bolzano World Cup and a silver medal in the Moscow Grand Prix. At the European Championships in Strasbourg, she was defeated in the semi-finals by Russia's

Yekaterina Dyachenko Yekaterina Vladimirovna Dyachenko (russian: Екатерина Владимировна Дьяченко, also known as Ekaterina Diatchenko, born 31 August 1987) is a Russian former sabre fencer. Dyachenko represented Russia at the 2008 Summer ...

and came away with a bronze medal. At the

in Kazan, she was edged out 13–15 by Russia's Yana Egorian in the quarter-finals. Vougiouka finished world No.4, her best ranking to date.

Personal life

Vougiouka studied dentistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her cousin is the basketball player Ian Vougioukas.Η Βάσω Βουγιούκα είναι η ελπίδα μας για μετάλλιο στους Ολυμπιακούς του Ρίο .
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References

External links

Profile
at the European Fencing Confederation {{DEFAULTSORT:Vougiouka, Vassiliki 1986 births Living people Greek female sabre fencers Olympic fencers for Greece Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Greece Mediterranean Games medalists in fencing Fencers at the 2013 Mediterranean Games European Games competitors for Greece Fencers at the 2015 European Games Sportspeople from Athens 21st-century Greek women