Sergey Bida

Sergey Olegovich Bida (; born 13 February 1993) is a Russian left-handed épée fencer. He was ranked #1 in the world in 2019 and 2020. He is a three-time European épée team champion, and 2021 Olympic épée team silver medalist. He moved to the United States in June 2023, along with his wife, Olympic épée fencer Violetta Bida. Bida is a member of USA Fencing.

Education Bida studied Sports Studies at the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism in Moscow. At the April 2012 Junior World Championship in Moscow, he won a bronze medal in individual épée. At the March 2013 Junior European Épée Championships in Toruń, Poland, he won a silver medal in team épée.

In 2019, Bida was given the title Honoured Master of Sport by the Russian Federation. At the February 2020 Vancouver World Cup in Canada, he won a silver medal in individual épée.

In recognition of his achievements at the Tokyo Olympics, Bida received the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" first class from the president of the Russian Federation. In January 2023, he won the All-Russian competition in Moscow. The couple now lives in a one-bedroom apartment, as they await the birth of their first child, and teach children at the local fencing club. He and his wife join Konstantin Lokhanov as Olympic fencers who left Russia to go to the United States after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The reaction of the Russian Fencing Federation changed dramatically once Bida publicly denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and followed that up by winning a gold medal at the U.S. Summer National Championships.

On December 27, 2023, the Russian state-run newspaper Pravda reported that Bida and his wife had been put on the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs "wanted list for escaping to USA." While Russia issued warrants for the couple's arrest, Pravda reported that it was unclear what Russian criminal code the Russian government had accused the Bidas of violating. At the same time, the Russian press wrote that the fencers faced up to 10 years in prison in Russia. Bida expressed surprise about getting the letters of support from the USOPC and USA Fencing for U.S. citizenship, saying: "This kind of letter, it’s impossible in Russia." Russian State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov called the fencers "cowards, traitors, and defectors" and "political rags.' Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov said: "they were promised to be treated with some sweet cookies. The most important thing is that they don’t choke on them." Soviet-Russian former four-time Olympic champion biathlete Alexander Tikhonov called the Bidas traitors to Russia. Other Russian officials also pledged that there would be consequences. As of January 2024, he was among the few Russian athletes world-wide who had come out as staunchly against Russia’s invasion; while other Russian athletes have spoken about their general desire for peace, most stopped short of criticizing Russia's war.

His first marriage ended in divorce in early June 2021.

World Championship

European Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup