The message reads, in part:
“I congratulate you on your gold Olympic debut.
“You have performed brilliantly throughout the competition, showing a truly victorious mindset.
“Everyone was highly impressed by the bright and beautiful “Russian” final that you secured for us together with Sofya Velikaya, clearly demonstrating the leadership of the national fencing school.”
In the final round, the 22-year-old Russian fencer Yana Egorian defeated her 31-year-old compatriot Sofya Velikaya 15:14. For the first time in 20 years, two athletes from Russia competed in the finals of the Olympic fencing tournament. Last time this happened at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, when Stanislav Pozdnyakov defeated Sergei Sharikov in the men's sabre finals.