Siess beat Denmark’s Jonas Winterberg-Poulsen 15-13 in the final in the southern city of Kraków, winning the first international gold medal of his senior career, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Meanwhile, Martyna Swatowska-Wenglarczyk scooped the silver in the women’s épée event, after losing the final 12-15 to Ukraine’s Dzhoan Feybi Bezhura.
Siess told reporters: “Poland already has four fencing medals, two gold and two silver. It’s a fantastic performance. We can be really happy.”
On Sunday, Julia Walczyk-Klimaszyk claimed gold in the women’s foil event, while Krzysztof Kaczkowski took silver in the men’s sabre competition.
Medals for Poland in shooting, taekwondo, muaythai
Another medal for Poland on Monday came from Natalia Kochańska, who clinched the silver in the women’s 50-metre rifle 3 positions event in the southwestern city of Wrocław, the PAP news agency reported.
Kochańska said she was “absolutely delighted” with her second-place performance, which also earned her a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Meanwhile, another silver went to Aleksandra Kowalczuk, who finished runner-up in the women’s taekwondo +73 kg in the southern mountain resort of Krynica-Zdrój, according to news outlets.
There were also two bronze medals for Poland in the combat sport of Muay Thai, the PAP news agency reported.
Dominika Filec came third in the women’s combat 60 kg category, while Jakub Rajewski scooped the bronze in the men’s combat 71 kg event in the southern town of Myślenice, according to officials.
More European Games medals on the way?
Three Polish Muay Thai boxers were set to compete for gold on Tuesday, Roksana Dargiel in the women’s combat 51 kg category, Oskar Siegert in the men’s combat 67 kg event and Martyna Kierczyńska in the women’s combat 54 kg category, the PAP news agency reported.
Another medal hope is Natalia Bajor, who has defeated several high-ranking opponents to reach the semifinal of the women’s table tennis singles event in Kraków, according to officials.
Meanwhile, Poland on Monday beat Italy 33-15 in the quarterfinal of the women’s rugby sevens tournament at the Municipal Henryk Reyman Stadium in Kraków, the PAP news agency reported.
Poland now face the Czech Republic in the semifinal on Tuesday.
After Monday’s events, Poland was ranked fourth in the medals table of the 2023 European Games, with 30 medals (10 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze).
Italy topped the standings with 18 golds, 17 silvers and 23 bronzes, followed by Spain (18-11-11) and Ukraine (12-7-6), the PAP news agency reported.
2023 European Games
A total of 370 Polish athletes, 188 men and 182 women, are vying for medals at the 3rd European Games, which opened in the historic Polish city of Kraków last Wednesday and run until July 2.
The 2023 European Games feature 12 days of competition in 29 sports and provide opportunities to win European championship medals and a pathway to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in some of the sports.
Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk said earlier this month that Poland was aiming to top the medals table of the Games.
"We set ourselves ambitious goals," Bortniczuk said. "We hope to finish top of the medal standings."
More than 7,000 athletes from 48 countries have flocked to Poland to compete in the event, which is taking place at 25 venues in 13 southern Polish cities.
Poland won 14 medals, three gold, one silver and 10 bronze, at the 2nd European Games in Minsk, Belarus in 2019.
Team Poland scooped 20 medals, two gold, eight silver and 10 bronze, at the 1st European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, european-games.org, interia.pl
Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Ada Janiszewska.