Olga Kharlan, a four-time Olympic fencing medalist, was disqualified from the World Fencing Championships in Milan on Thursday after refusing to shake hands with her Russian opponent.
After Ms. Kharlan defeated Anna Smirnova, a Russian competitor who had joined the competition with a neutral status, Ms. Smirnova extended her hand to Ms. Kharlan, who extended her saber instead. According to the sport’s rules, a fencing bout does not end until the two fencers have saluted each other and shaken hands,
Kaylee McKeown has never known such nerves before capturing Australia’s fifth gold medal at the world championships in Japan.
McKeown’s 100 metres backstroke triumph in Fukuoka on Tuesday night follows her disqualification from the 200m individual medley semi-finals.
After railing against what she described as a ‘completely
