Jan. 15, 2015

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Newly appointed head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia announced the hiring of Samir Ibrahimov as the new sabre coach for the University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s fencing programs. Ibrahimov joins the Irish after a three-year stint in Hong Kong.

With multiple awards and recognitions to his name, Ibrahimov carries a pedigree on and off the strip, having developed numerous pupils into internationally elite stars.

“With Samir’s hiring, we have retained one of the best sabre coaches within the world for our staff. His experience both as a world champion athlete and as a coach who has developed world champions brings immeasurable value to our program here at Notre Dame,” Kvaratskhelia states.

Ibrahimov brought home four Asian Championships both in team and individual events as the sabre coach of Hong Kong’s national team, and coached the nation’s first-ever World Champion at the Cadet and Junior World Championships in Croatia. From 2011-14, Ibrahimov’s pupils earned countless medals at the Asian Championships, making him well renowned within the international fencing world.

Prior to his time in Hong Kong, Ibrahimov served as the head sabre coach with the Azerbaijan national fencing team from 1995 to 2011. In this role, he designed and implemented a new training regimen for the national team, resulting in several national champions and Satellite World Cup finalists.

Ibrahimov also spent time with the Dynamo fencing club from 2008-09 as head sabre coach, revamping the club’s existing training process. Within his first year with the program, Dynamo had won a National Championship, paving the way for future successes.

During his competitive years, Ibrahimov won a gold medal at the World Championships in Lyon, France in 1990, and was a silver medalist at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in 1991. He is also a five-time Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) National Champion (1980, 1984, 1988, 1990 and 1991) and was a member of the USSR National fencing team.

Ibrahimov has been honored as a master of his sport within the USSR, and was awarded the Special Achievements Award by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Aliyev also honored Ibrahimov for his contribution to the development of fencing within his homeland.

Ibrahimov achieved his Bachelor of Science in Education from the Azerbaijan State Institute of Physical Education, USSR, and went on to attain his Masters of Sport in Fencing. He is fluent in Russian and Azerbaijani and is proficient in English.

Lizzie Mikes,

Media Services Coordinator

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