On Saturday, 4th December 2021 in Pardubice, Czechia, PSA have organised 8th edition of the Pardubický meč tournament in the categories of Long sword open and Long sword women. This year's edition has seen big number of international competitors from Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, and the tournament was full of high-quality fencers. Krkavci have attended in record number of 5 competitors and 3 supporting members, and this number has significantly improved the team spirit, support of the fencers, and the rest in between the matches and tournament phases. The support from Léňa, Vojan, and the recruit Lily, who have documented the event, cheered us up and helped us with the gear, is worth a special mention.

There were 53 fencers in the Long sword open category, divided into 8 groups, followed by a single-elimination. The ranking after the group phase was dominated by Petr, who hasn't lost a single match, while Gandalv and Karel both recorded 4 wins and 2 losses and ranked on 12th and 22nd rank.

In the elimination fights that followed, Karel, sadly, lost his fight for top 16, and ended up at 25th place overall. However, Petr and Gandalv have beaten all their opponents and faced each other at the semi-finals. In the second semi-final were Pavel Dostál and Jan Hubař, both from PSA. It was therefore certain that the 1st and 3rd place will be fought between Krkavci and PSA.

The first semi-final was won by Gandalv, and the other one by Pavel Dostál. After a long and tense fight over who will bring home more medals, Petr has won the bronze medal, and in the finals, Gandalv has won in a beautiful fight. For the first time ever, Krkavci have claimed the gold and bronze medals from one tournament. Also, it was the first time Gandalv has placed on the podium at a bigger tournament.

We congratulate both lads, because they have shown resilience, commitment, lust for victory, and they have kept clear head even in difficult moments during the fights. We also congratulate Pavel and Honza for their final rank as well, and also for their performance which was outstanding too. All have put a lot of effort into training and the victories were decided by details.

For Doktor and Madla, it was the second tournament they have attended, and even though they have not advanced to the elimination in their categories, they have exercised good fencing, determination, and drive to deal a hit. The gained experience will certainly be beneficial for their future development.

We would also like to sincerely thank the organisers - despite the great number of participants, the tournament has gone smoothly, there have been excellent (and diverse) refreshments, of which there was enough even in later hours, and there has been happy and friendly atmosphere during the whole event. The referees have been good too, and despite the long and difficult day, they have been able to judge fairly and consistently, for which they deserve thanks and admiration.

Thanks everyone for a great tournament!