Feb. 20, 2015

COLUMBUS, Ohio- Aliaksandr Sourimto joined the Ohio State fencing staff as an assistant coach, head coach Vladimir Nazlymov announced this past week. Sourimto was educated as a specialty fencing coach at the Belarusian State University of Physical Culture and Sport, graduating in 2002, and has extensive experience with the Belarusian National Fencing team as a coach and competitor.

“I am very happy now,” Nazlymov said. “I have been looking for this gentleman for a long time. I know in a year or two, we will have a very strong sabre program. I am very happy and I know in the few practices we have had so far the athletes are too.”

Sourimto began his tenure as men’s sabre head coach of the national team for Belarus in 2007. Since then, his team has collected hardware at 20 World Cup events, both individually and as a unit. His team also claimed a seventh-place finish at the 2012 Olympics, hosted in London, and a fifth-place finish in the 2008 Olympics, hosted in Beijing.

“It is a very nice facility,” Sourimto said. “We have everything we need for working, with all the lights and space. I had very little space in my previous facilities so this is wonderful.”

As a competitor, Sourimto competed with the Belarus National Team from 1996 to 2003, claiming the title at the 1996 World Championship hosted in Tornai, Belguim, and at the 1998 European Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia. He placed third at the 1998 World Championship and took second for the 2001 European Championship.

“I had a very early finish to my career as an athlete in 2003,” Sourimto said. “I started to coach then and I had a very good mentor. He taught me as a sportsman and a coach. I have made mistakes, but he showed me the way and we have had a very nice result.”

The Buckeyes continue their 2015 schedule with the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships on Feb. 21 in Evanston, Ill.

More notes on Sourimto:

As a coach,

Fifth-place finish at Olympic Games (China, 2008)

Seventh-place finish at Olympic Games (England, 2012)

Fourth-place finish for the team at World Championship (Hungary, 2013)

Silver medal for the team at World Championship (Italy, 2011)

Fourth place for the team at World Championship (France, 2010)

Second-place at European Championship (Belgium, 2007)

Third-place at European Championship (Ukraine, 2008)

Fifth-place at European Championship (Bulgaria, 2009)

Numerous top-3 finishes at World Cup competitions for the team and individual (2007-2013)

As a competitor,