{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Short description|French fencer (born 1995)}} {{Infobox fencer | name = Sara Balzer | image = Sara Balzer 2014-15 Orleans WC teams t132258.jpg | caption = Balzer in 2014 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1995|4|3|df=y}} | birth_place = Strasbourg, France | height = 1.77 m | weight = 66 kg | weapon = Sabre | hand = left-handed | natlcoach = Mathieu Gourdain | perscoach = | club = Strasbourg Université Club | fieranking = [https://fie.org/athletes/29003 current ranking] | country = France |medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Women's sabre}} {{MedalCountry|{{FRA}}}} {{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}} {{MedalSilver|2020 Tokyo|Team}} {{Medal|Silver|2024 Paris|Individual}} {{MedalCompetition|World Championships}} {{Medal|Gold|2025 Tbilisi|Team}} {{Medal|Silver|2022 Cairo|Team}} {{Medal|Silver|2023 Milan|Team}} {{Medal|Competition|European Games}} {{Medal|Gold|2023 Kraków–Małopolska|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|European Championships}} {{Medal|Gold|2022 Antalya|Team}} {{Medal|Gold|2023 Kraków|Team}} {{Medal|Gold|2025 Genoa|Team}} {{Medal|Silver|2023 Plovdiv|Individual}} {{Medal|Bronze|2017 Tbilisi|Team}} {{Medal|Bronze|2022 Antalya|Individual}} {{MedalCompetition|Universiade}} {{Medal|Gold|2019 Naples|Individual}} {{Medal|Silver|2019 Naples|Team}} {{Medal|Bronze|2015 Gwangju|Team}} }}
'''Sara Balzer''' (born 3 April 1995) is a French left-handed sabre fencer. She won two Olympic silver medals, the first at the 2021 team event,<ref> {{cite web |title=JO PARIS 2024 - SARA BALZER ET LES SABREUSES, À LA RECHERCHE D'UNE PREMIÈRE MÉDAILLE D'OR HISTORIQUE |url=https://www.eurosport.fr/escrime/paris-2024/2024/jo-paris-2024-sara-balzer-et-les-sabreuses-a-la-recherche-dune-premiere-medaille-dor-historique_sto20021503/story.shtml |website=Eurosport |access-date=29 July 2024}}</ref> and the second on home soil at the 2024 individual event.<ref>{{cite news |title=Manon Apithy-Brunet domine Sara Balzer et devient championne olympique de sabre aux JO de Paris |url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Jo-2024-paris/Escrime/Actualites/Manon-apithy-brunet-domine-sara-balzer-et-devient-championne-olympique-de-sabre-aux-jo-de-paris/1486650 |newspaper=L'Équipe |access-date=29 July 2024 |lang=fr }}</ref> She has been ranked #1 in the world in women's sabre in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024.<ref>{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/athletes/29003|access-date=4 December 2021|website=FIE.org}}</ref>
==Personal life== Balzer was born in Strasbourg to a French father and a mother of Algerian descent. Her maternal grandfather was a spahi in the French Army.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2020 |title=Sara-Balzer-pour-SITE |url=https://www.secoursdefrance.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sara-Balzer-pour-SITE.pdf |website=www.secoursdefrance.com}}</ref>
==Medal record== ===Olympic Games=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Year ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |- |2021 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|JPN}} Tokyo, Japan |Team Women's Sabre | bgcolor="silver" |2nd<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2021/251|access-date=6 August 2021|website=FIE.org}}</ref> |- |2024 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|FRA}} Paris, France | Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="silver" |2nd |}
===World Championship=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Year ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |- | rowspan="1" |2017 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|GER}} Leipzig, Germany |Team Women's Sabre | bgcolor="caramel" |3rd<ref>{{Cite web|title=2017 World Championship - INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2017/251|access-date=6 August 2021|website=FIE.org}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1" |2022 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|EGY}} Cairo, Egypt |Team Women's Sabre | bgcolor="silver" |2nd<ref>{{Cite web|title=2022 World Championship - INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2022/251|access-date=31 July 2025|website=FIE.org}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1" |2023 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|ITA}} Milan, Italy |Team Women's Sabre | bgcolor="Silver" |2nd<ref>{{Cite web|title=2023 World Championship - INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2023/251|access-date=31 July 2025|website=FIE.org}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1" |2025 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|GEO}} Tbilisi, Georgia |Team Women's Sabre | bgcolor="Gold" |1st<ref>{{Cite web|title=2025 World Championship - INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2025/251|access-date=31 July 2025|website=FIE.org}}</ref> |}
===European Championship=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Year ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |- |2017 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|GEO}} Tbilisi, Georgia |Team Women's Sabre | bgcolor="caramel" |3rd<ref>{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2017/748|access-date=6 August 2021|website=FIE.org}}</ref> |- |2022 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|TUR}} Antalya, Turkey |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="caramel" | 3rd<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title=FENCING TIME LIVE – The Complete Fencing Tournament Management Solution|url=https://www.fencingtimelive.com/events/results/7076E2438BBE4C45AAF4AAFEB4E9D08D|access-date=19 June 2022|website=FENCING TIME LIVE – The Complete Fencing Tournament Management Solution}}</ref> |- |2023 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|BUL}} Plovdiv, Bulgaria |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="Silver" | 2nd<ref name="auto"/> |- |}
===World Cup=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Date ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |- |2017-03-24 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|CHN}} Yangzhou, China |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="silver" |2nd<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2017/151|access-date=7 August 2021|website=FIE.org}}</ref> |- |2022-03-03 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|GRE}} Athens, Greece |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="caramel" |3rd<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website |url=http://fie.org/competitions/2022/469 |access-date=6 March 2022 |website=FIE.org}}</ref> |- |2023-03-17 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|BEL}} Sint-Niklaas, Belgium |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="gold" |1st<ref name="auto1"/> |- |2023-05-12 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|GEO}} Batumi, Georgia |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="gold" |1st<ref name="auto1"/> |- |2023-11-09 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|ALG}} Algiers, Algeria |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="gold" |1st<ref name="auto1"/> |- |2024-03-01 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|GRE}} Acropolis, Greece |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="gold" |1st<ref name="auto2"/> |- |2024-03-15 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|BEL}} Sint-Niklaas, Belgium |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="gold" |1st<ref name="auto2"/>
|- |2024-05-17 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|BUL}} Plovdiv, Bulgaria |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="gold" |1st<ref name="auto2"/> |- |}
===Grand Prix=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Year ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |- |2023-04-28 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|KOR}} Seoul, South Korea |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="silver" |2nd<ref name="auto3"/> |- |2023-12-08 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|FRA}} Orleans, France |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="caramel" |3rd<ref name="auto3"/> |- |2024-05-05 | rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|KOR}} Seoul, South Korea |Individual Women's Sabre | bgcolor="caramel" |3rd<ref name="auto3"/> |}
==See also== * France at the 2019 Summer Universiade
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons}} *[https://www.instagram.com/balzersara/ Sara Balzer instagram] *{{Sports links}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balzer, Sara}} Category:1995 births Category:Living people Category:French female sabre fencers Category:Summer World University Games medalists in fencing Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for France Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for France Category:FISU World University Games bronze medalists for France Category:Medalists at the 2015 Summer Universiade Category:Medalists at the 2019 Summer Universiade Category:European Games competitors for France Category:Fencers at the 2015 European Games Category:Olympic fencers for France Category:Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:Fencers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic silver medalists for France Category:Olympic medalists in fencing Category:Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:21st-century French sportswomen Category:World Fencing Championships medalists Category:French sportspeople of Algerian descent Category:Sportspeople from Strasbourg Category:Fencers at the 2023 European Games Category:Medalists at the 2023 European Games Category:European Games gold medalists for France Category:European Games medalists in fencing Category:Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
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