Sofya Velikaya

Sofiya Aleksandrovna Velikaya (Russian: Софья Александровна Великая, IPA: [ˈsofʲjə vʲɪˈlʲikəjə]; born 8 June 1985) is a Russian sabre fencer.^[2]

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Aleksandrovna and the family name is Velikaya.

Sofiya Velikaya
Velikaya at the 2015 World Championships
Personal information
Full name	Sofiya Aleksandrovna Velikaya
Born	(1985-06-08) 8 June 1985 (age 39) Almaty, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Russian
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
Country	Russia
Weapon	Sabre
Hand	Right-handed
National coach	Dmitry Glotov[1]
Club	Russian Central Sports Army Club and MGFSO[1]
FIE ranking	current ranking
Medal record Representing ROC Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Team sabre 2020 Tokyo Individual sabre Representing  Russia Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team sabre 2016 Rio de Janeiro Individual sabre 2012 London Individual sabre World Championships 2004 New York Team sabre 2010 Paris Team sabre 2011 Catania Individual sabre 2011 Catania Team sabre 2012 Kyiv Team sabre 2015 Moscow Individual sabre 2015 Moscow Team sabre 2019 Budapest Team sabre 2005 Leipzig Individual sabre 2005 Leipzig Team sabre 2018 Wuxi Individual sabre 2018 Wuxi Team sabre 2019 Budapest Individual sabre 2006 Turin Team sabre 2007 St.Petersburg Team sabre 2010 Paris Individual sabre European Championships 2003 Bourges Team sabre 2004 Copenhagen Team sabre 2006 İzmir Individual sabre 2006 İzmir Team sabre 2008 Kyiv Individual sabre 2012 Legnano Team sabre 2014 Strasbourg Team sabre 2015 Montreux Individual sabre 2015 Montreux Team sabre 2016 Toruń Individual sabre 2016 Toruń Team sabre 2018 Novi Sad Individual sabre 2018 Novi Sad Team sabre 2019 Düsseldorf Team sabre 2005 Zalaegerszeg Individual sabre 2005 Zalaegerszeg Team sabre 2007 Ghent Individual sabre 2009 Plovdiv Team sabre 2010 Leipzig Individual sabre 2010 Leipzig Team sabre 2007 Ghent Team sabre 2011 Sheffield Team sabre 2019 Düsseldorf Individual sabre Military World Games 2019 Wuhan Team sabre Summer Universiade 2005 İzmir Individual sabre 2005 İzmir Team sabre 2003 Daegu Team sabre

Velikaya is a former European champion (four-time individual, six-time team), world champion (two-time individual, six-time team), and two-time Olympic team champion. She competed in the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympics, and is a three-time individual silver medalist.

She dedicated her team's 2016 Olympic gold medal to those Russians who had been banned for doping. In January 2024, Velikaya was included in the list of proxies of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin in the 2024 Russian presidential election.

Career

Velikaya receives the Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin in 2021

Velikaya is a Russian Armed Forces captain.^[3] Her fencing clubs are the Russian Central Sports Army Club and MGFSO.^[1]

2008–15

She placed fourth in the 2008 Beijing Games, after losing to American Sada Jacobson 11–15 in the semifinals, and then losing to American Rebecca Ward 14–15 in the bronze medal match.^[4] On 12 October 2011, she became the world champion after beating two-time Olympic champion American Mariel Zagunis in the final. One year after, she took part in the Summer Olympics in London, where she advanced to finals after defeating Olga Kharlan of Ukraine. Velikaya lost however to South Korea's Kim Ji-yeon, 9–15, and received silver.^[4]

Velikaya then took a break in her career.^[5] She gave birth to a son, with Olympic wrestler Aleksey Mishin. She came back to international competition in March 2014 at the Antalya World Cup, where she was defeated in the second round by Hungary's Anna Várhelyi.^[6] At the European Championships in Strasbourg, she was stopped in the second round again, this time by Italy's Rossella Gregorio. In the team event, Russia met France in the final, and won the gold medal.^[7] At the World Championships in Kazan Velikaya made her way to the quarter-finals, where she met reigning World champion Olga Kharlan of Ukraine. Velikaya was defeated 9–15.^[8] In the team event, Russia met France in the quarter-finals. Russia suffered a shock 41–45 defeat.^[9]

In the 2014–15 season, Velikaya won the first event in Cancún after defeating France's Charlotte Lembach in the final.^[10] She placed second with Russia in the team event.^{[citation needed]} In Orléans, she put an end to the invincibility of the world no.1 Olga Kharlan, who had not taken part in the Cancún tournament. Velikaya proceeded to the final where she defeated Italy's Rossella Gregorio and earned her second gold medal in a row.^[11] In the team event, Russia saw off the United States in the final to win team gold. Velikaya reached again the final in the New York Grand Prix. She met Kharlan, who defeated her 15–12, dooming her the silver medal.^[12] The same scenario played out in Athens at the first World Cup event of 2015, Velikaya losing by a single hit that time.^[13] In the team event, Russia fenced Ukraine in the final. Russia lost ground in the penultimate relay, which ended on 33–40. Velikaya lost 2–5 the final relay against Kharlan and came away with a second silver medal.^[14] At the Ghent World Cup, she defeated Kharlan 15–3 in the semi-finals, then Zagunis 15–10 in the final, to take her third gold medal of the season.^[15]

2016–19

Velikaya qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In women's sabre in the table of 32 she defeated Bogna Jóźwiak from Poland. In the table of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, she prevailed over Charlotte Lembach, Cécilia Berder and Manon Brunet of France, respectively.^[16] She eventually lost 14–15 to her teammate Yana Egorian in the finals, winning her second consecutive silver medal at the Olympics in the individual women's sabre. Velikaya finally managed to claim Olympic gold a few days later in the team event. Russia defeated Mexico (45–31) in the quarter-finals, prevailed over the USA (45–42) in the semi-finals and met the Ukrainians in the final. Velikaya and her teammates came away with the gold medal, defeating Ukraine 45–30.^[17]

Velikaya dedicated her squad's 2016 Olympic gold medal to those Russians who had been banned for doping.^[18]

On 17 November 2016, Velikaya was elected the head of the Russian Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission.^[19][20]

2020–present

In April 2022, she said she would boycott the Olympics if she is not allowed to compete under the Russian flag and anthem.^[21] Velikaya was not among the Russian athletes reinstated by the FIE in May 2023, due to her ties with the Russian Army.^[22]

In January 2024, the Russian state-owned new agency TASS reported that Velikaya was included in the list of proxies of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin in the 2024 Russian presidential election.^[23] By law, self-nominated candidates such as Putin are allowed to have proxies who campaign in their favor.^[23]

In February 2024, Velikaya commented on three fellow Russian Olympic fencers who had escaped from Russia to the United States, Tokyo Olympics épée silver medalist Sergey Bida, his wife Violetta Bida, and sabre fencer Konstantin Lokhanov.^[24][25] She said: "This is absolutely their right, this is their life. I'm sitting at home."^[24][25]

Medal record

Olympic Games

Year	Location	Event	Position
2012	London, United Kingdom	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[26]
2016	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[27]
2016	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Team Women's Sabre	1st[28]
2021	Tokyo, Japan	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[29]
2021	Tokyo, Japan	Team Women's Sabre	1st[30]

World Championship

Year	Location	Event	Position
2004	New York, New York	Team Women's Sabre	1st[31]
2005	Leipzig, Germany	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[32]
2005	Leipzig, Germany	Team Women's Sabre	2nd[33]
2006	Turin, Italy	Team Women's Sabre	3rd[34]
2007	St. Petersburg, Russia	Team Women's Sabre	3rd[35]
2010	Paris, France	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[36]
2010	Paris, France	Team Women's Sabre	1st[37]
2011	Catania, Italy	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[38]
2011	Catania, Italy	Team Women's Sabre	1st[39]
2012	Kyiv, Ukraine	Team Women's Sabre	1st[40]
2015	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[41]
2015	Moscow, Russia	Team Women's Sabre	1st[42]
2018	Wuxi, China	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[43]
2018	Wuxi, China	Team Women's Sabre	2nd[44]
2019	Budapest, Hungary	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[45]
2019	Budapest, Hungary	Team Women's Sabre	1st[46]

European Championship

Year	Location	Event	Position
2007	Ghent, Belgium	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[47]
2007	Ghent, Belgium	Team Women's Sabre	3rd[48]
2008	Kyiv, Ukraine	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[49]
2009	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	Team Women's Sabre	2nd[50]
2010	Leipzig, Germany	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[51]
2010	Leipzig, Germany	Team Women's Sabre	2nd[52]
2011	Sheffield, United Kingdom	Team Women's Sabre	3rd[53]
2012	Legnano, Italy	Team Women's Sabre	1st[54]
2014	Strasbourg, France	Team Women's Sabre	1st[55]
2015	Montreux, Switzerland	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[56]
2015	Montreux, Switzerland	Team Women's Sabre	1st[57]
2016	Toruń, Poland	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[58]
2016	Toruń, Poland	Team Women's Sabre	1st[59]
2018	Novi Sad, Serbia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[60]
2018	Novi Sad, Serbia	Team Women's Sabre	1st[61]
2019	Düsseldorf, Germany	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[62]
2019	Düsseldorf, Germany	Team Women's Sabre	1st[63]

Grand Prix

Date	Location	Event	Position
2003-03-14	Foggia, Italy	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[64]
2004-03-20	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[65]
2004-06-12	New York, New York	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[66]
2005-03-18	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[67]
2006-02-24	Budapest, Hungary	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[68]
2006-03-17	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[69]
2009-02-06	Orléans, France	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[70]
2009-02-15	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[71]
2009-05-29	Tianjin, China	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[72]
2010-02-14	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[73]
2010-03-19	Tunis, Tunisia	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[74]
2011-02-11	Orléans, France	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[75]
2011-03-26	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[76]
2012-02-10	Orléans, France	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[77]
2012-03-16	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[78]
2013-03-22	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[79]
2014-12-13	New York, New York	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[80]
2015-03-28	Seoul, South Korea	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[81]
2015-05-29	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[82]
2015-12-12	Boston, Massachusetts	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[83]
2016-03-25	Seoul, South Korea	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[84]
2018-05-12	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[85]
2019-02-22	Cairo, Egypt	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[86]
2019-05-24	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[87]

World Cup

Date	Location	Event	Position
2006-05-13	Ghent, Belgium	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[88]
2008-02-16	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[89]
2010-06-18	New York, New York	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[90]
2011-02-25	London, United Kingdom	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[91]
2011-06-24	New York, New York	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[92]
2012-02-24	London, United Kingdom	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[93]
2012-05-04	Bologna, Italy	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[94]
2014-11-01	Margarita Island, Venezuela	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[95]
2014-11-21	Orléans, France	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[96]
2015-01-30	Athens, Greece	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[97]
2015-02-20	Ghent, Belgium	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[98]
2015-05-01	Beijing, China	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[99]
2016-01-29	Athens, Greece	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd[100]
2016-02-19	Sint-Niklaas, Belgium	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[101]
2019-01-25	Salt Lake City, Utah	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd[102]
2019-05-10	Tunis, Tunisia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st[103]

Honours and awards

• Russian Order of Merit for the Fatherland 1st class (13 August 2012) – for outstanding contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high achievements at the 30th Olympic Games in London, United Kingdom.^[104]
• Russian Athlete of the Year (2015)^[105]
• Russian Order of Honour (25 August 2016) – for high achievements at the 31st Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the will to win and goal-oriented approach.^[106]
• Russian Medal of Military Valour (2016) – 1st class.^[107]

Personal life

At the age of 15, Velikaya moved from the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan to Moscow to train in fencing.^[108]

Velikaya is married to 2004 Olympic champion wrestler Aleksey Mishin. They have two children together: a son named Oleg, born on 30 November 2013,^[109] and a daughter named Zoya, born in 2018.^[110]