Cambodian Fencers Safely Complete Mission and Return Home
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 28 July 2026
Two Cambodian female fencers participated in the 2026 World Fencing Championships in Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, which runs from July 22 to July 30, 2026. However, as the competition for both athletes concluded on July 27, they safely returned home on July 27 and July 28.
The two Cambodian fencers include Pen Narita, competing in the Women's Individual Sabre event, and Calissi Olga, competing in the Women's Individual Foil event. The purposes of their participation differed: Pen Narita was sent to attend a pre-tournament training camp to strengthen her skills, share experiences with Olympic coaches, and compete in the year's top-tier fencing event.
"I feel very happy because I got to train with international coaches just like before the 2023 SEA Games," Narita said before her departure. "However, I am also nervous because this time it's a world-level competition featuring top fencers from around the globe, including Olympic medalists." She added that it was a great opportunity to gain world-class experience since Coach Bruno left Cambodia after the SEA Games. "My primary goal isn't just to learn new techniques from international coaches; I also want to better understand the changing dynamics of the Sabre event to improve for future international competitions, and to bring back new techniques to practice in Cambodia."
It is worth noting that Pen Narita is a national Sabre fencer who trained under French coach Bruno, winning a bronze medal during the 2023 SEA Games and another bronze medal at the 2025 Asian U23 Fencing Championships.
On the other hand, Olga participated in this competition to assess her current performance level before entering the qualification tournaments for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA. She possesses high ambition and a clear objective to compete in the Olympics, with 2028 being her ultimate goal.
Meanwhile, Sok Ang, a senior official and fencing coach, noted that this world event featured more than 1,000 athletes from 138 countries worldwide. Among them were top-tier Asian nations including South Korea, Japan, China, and Hong Kong—all of which boast medalists from the 2024 Olympic Games and gold medalists from past World Championships.
Nevertheless, both athletes gave their absolute best. In particular, Olga maintained a world ranking within the top 64 and ranked number one compared to other competitors from Southeast Asian nations. The coach expects that she will perform even better next season and successfully secure a spot for the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games.
