USA Fencing

USA Fencing and U.S. Fencing Coaches Association will be hosting the first USA Fencing Coaching Institute at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

As part of USA Fencing’s new coaching accreditation program, participants will have the opportunity to earn Assistant Monitor and Monitor certifications as well as preparation to earn their Prevost and Master degree.

Week 1: Fundamental Skill and Education Development (July 16-20, 2012) – This level will focus on the newly developed USA Coaching Development Program and along with fundamental fencing skills will offer courses such as:

•     Critical thinking
•     Ethics in Coaching
•     The Artistry of Coaching
•     Modern Footwork
•     Terminology
•     Working with groups
•     Preparatory actions
•     Stretching and Warming up
•     Problem solving skills
•     Situational Bouting
•     Proper Drilling
•     Teaching Methodologies
•     What it means to be a coach
•     Common Coaching errors
•     Ethics and Risk Management
•     Lesson Development
•     Armoring
•     Refereeing

Week 2: Foundations for Competitive Coaching (July 23-27, 2012) – This level will focus on coaches who are preparing to attain Prevot and Masters degrees. In addition to continuing week 1’s topics, additional classes will include:

•     Running a club
•     Developing athlete profiles
•     Developmental Exercises
•     Change of rhythm/surprise
•     Supporting actions
•     Lesson Development
•     Teaching Methodologies
•     Reactions
•     Training the Brain
•     Technical and Tactical choices
•     Problem solving skills
•     Bout Analysis
•     Motivation
•     Modern Fencing Actions
•     Types of Lessons
•     Sport Psychology

USA Fencing Coaching Education Coordinator Michael Marx (Boston, Mass.) will be the director for the Coaching Institute.

“I look forward to working with USA Fencing and the USFCA in a combined effort to develop a comprehensive education process for fencing coaches.  This endeavor will incorporate all levels while providing continuing education to our current professional membership,” Marx said. “These sessions are part of a larger strategy from USA Fencing and the USFCA to bring more high quality fencing instruction and certification to coaches at all levels in order to improve competitive fencing in the United States.”

All three weapons will be represented and instructors with unique expertise in each weapon will be teaching.

Coaching Institute Staff:

• Brad Baker (Pennsauken, N.J.), Temple University epee and saber coach and former USA Fencing Coaches’ College instructor
• Peter Burchard (San Francisco, Calif.), North Bay Fencing Academy head coach and USFCA vice president
• Gary Copeland (Boulder, Colo.), former USA Fencing National Team Coach and former USA Fencing Coaches’ College instructor
• Christophe Duclos (Portland, Ore.), former National Team Coach for Jordan and Qatar and Level 2 French Master
• Rob Handelman (San Francisco, Calif.), Coach at Halberstadt Fencers’ Club and Chair of the USFCA Certification and Accreditation Board
• Maureen Griffin (San Francisco, Colo.), four-time Cadet Women’s Epee World Team Coach
• Gia Kvaratskhelia (South Bend, Ind.), Notre Dame University foil coach
• Laurie Schiller (Deerfield, Ill.), Northwestern University head coach
• Kelly Williams (Shawnee Mission, Kans.), former chair of the USA Fencing Youth Development Committee and former USA Fencing Coaches’ College instructor.

Facilities:
The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
The modern, park-like campus at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs provides guests with a stimulating, comfortable, and scenic environment. State of the art classrooms allow coaches to use video and multimedia presentations to highlight technical details. The Summit Village at UCCS provides some of the most comfortable and convenient lodging at any college. Residence halls include high speed Internet, common lounge areas, and private bathrooms in every suite. Colorado Springs is home to the U.S. Olympic Committee and outdoor attractions including Pikes Peak. Vibrant downtown Colorado Springs offers a unique mixture of locally-owned retail shops, restaurants, brewpubs, and coffee shops.

Tuition
Tuition is $950 per one-week session. A discounted rate is available for participants staying off campus.

Registration
Register online through USA Fencing: RailStation.

For further information contact Michael Marx at m.marx@usfencing.org

Army cadets prepare to go tête-à-tête against members of the Navy squad. Pictured back row (L to R) Tessa Knight, Joseph Dooley, and Lawrence Hoffman. Pictured front row (L to R) Patty Fors, Lexie Blair, and Sally Sittnick

Army Ripostes Navy at First Annual Fencing Tournament in Warrington, Pa.

Army claims victory in historic series of bouts

Warrington, Pa – It came down to the last point in a fencer’s platform as Army engaged Navy in an intense fencing meet on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at Liberty Fencing Club, located at 366 Easton Road, Unit D-1, Warrington, PA.  The event was split into three sets of nine bouts, each set representing a different weapon – foil, sabre and epee.  The first team to win 14 of the 27 bouts was the victor.  The Navy men’s team put forth a tremendous effort in the epee bouts, taking eight of nine possible points.  Army’s women dominated Navy with an overall score of 17-10. Navy’s men upset Army 14-13 (Army’s men had just finished 2nd at Nationals and won the Southern Atlantic Conference Championship this year), and for men and women combined, Army won the overall contest by a final score of 30-24.

A local fencer from the Army team experienced his share of excellence as well.  Jeff Nielsen, a Washington’s Crossing resident and graduate of Council Rock High School North class of 2009, won all three of his bouts without allowing a touch.  Currently, Jeff is a junior at West Point and is the captain of Army’s foil team.

Referees for the day were Charles Greene, Philip Butler, and two former U.S. Fencing Olympians – Ivan Lee (Olympian in 2004 and now a New York City police officer); and David Micahnik (Olympian in 1960, 1964, 1968, member of US Fencing Hall of Fame, and former coach of University of Pennsylvania’s fencing team).

Members of the Navy men’s team prepare to square off against their Army counterparts. Pictured in the front center is Kyle Hanton, surrounded by teammates (L to R) John Beach, Joe Kessopha, Russ Kealing, Pete Roemer, Conor Cross, Michael Costello, and Cedric Wilson.

This event marks the beginning of a new local tradition that our area will share with two of the nation’s most honored institutions.  Marshal Davis, owner of Liberty Fencing Club and fencing coach at Swarthmore College, is responsible for presenting the idea for this annual event to Bob Grieser and Emil Petruncio, head coaches for the Army and Navy fencing teams respectively.  Davis said, “This event was a great opportunity for people to see a collegiate fencing meet close to home and, most importantly, to support the future leaders and officers of our armed forces.”

Also on hand to compete against the Army and Navy teams in sabre and foil were three fencers representing the British Royal Marines.  Accompanied by their coach Warren Keays-Smith, the “Royals” went tête-à-tête against members of the Army and Navy men’s and women’s teams.

The event concluded with a cookout for all of the fencers and referees, with food and refreshments provided by Liberty Fencing Club. It was an opportunity for all 3 teams to lay down their weapons, break bread and mingle.

Like the annual Army-Navy football classic which takes place in Philadelphia each year, Liberty Fencing Club has set the stage for future engagements in the exciting rivalry that Army-Navy athletics represents to our area.

Members of the British Royal Marines Fencing Team under the direction of Coach Warren Keays competed in foil and sabre against members of both Army and Navy men’s and women’s teams. Pictured from L to R are Aly Mills, Daniel French, and Edward Hill.

About Liberty Fencing Club, LLC: Liberty Fencing Club offers programs designed to provide introductory, intermediate, and advanced training for one of the most fascinating, exciting, and safest sports. They offer both recreational & competitive programs for: youth (8 and up), adults, and seniors. Liberty Fencing Club, LLC has two locations- in Haverford, PA and Warrington, PA. For more information, visit: www.libertyfencingclub.com.

The US is entering an historic time coming into London for the 2012 Olympics.  Over the last 20 years, US Fencing has transformed from having the fencers that were viewed as easy bouts to having the fencers whom no one wants to face.

A country that struggled to get two Olympic medals prior to 2004 emerged in 2008 to place second to Italy in total medal count:  My how things have changed.

The US stands alone in 2012 as the only team to field a full Olympic team (16 athletes).  Even mighty Italy couldn’t field a full Olympic fencing team in London.

In April at Kiev, Ukraine, the US men’s epee team became the first US men’s team ever to hold the world champion title after defeating eight time defending champion France.

In Kiev, the women’s saber team also took bronze, where they lost to the reigning Olympic champions, Ukraine, in the semis, but came back to beat Italy in the bronze medal bout.  It is a shame that these two medals are not counted in the Olympic medal for this quadrennial, but it shows how competitive the US now is at the world level.

Over the next months, Fencing.net will highlight the US Fencing Olympians as well as some of the international Olympians prior to London.

Gerek Meinhardt won bronze at the 2010 World Championships. He will be the alternate for the US Men's Team in London. Photo S.Timacheff/FencingPhotos.com

We caught up with some of the members of the US Fencing Olympic team hours after their announcement at the Virginia Beach, VA North American Cup (NAC).

Gerek, how are you feeling after the long season?

Well, it’s been a real long season!  I had surgery on my right meniscus in Jan 2011.  It was hard because I couldn’t put any weight on my right leg for two months.

[Ed. Note:  While he was not allowed to put weight on his right leg for two months due to his injury with his meniscus, he was not allowed to fence for a total of five months!]

When I finally healed, I was able to physically move, but I had lost my fencing sense and timing.  I was excited that I could run around and that I was physically fit, but my timing was off and I lost my strategic feel and feel for the game.

The one benefit was at least I had some time before the first world cup and the start of qualification period for the Olympics.  I got so excited training because I could physically move again that I over exerted myself!

When you started the qualifications for the Olympics, where were you in the standings?  

I was in the top 16 still which was great, but taking two months off was really hard.  I was physically fit after my rehab, but I was out of fencing shape.

Fencing requires using very unique muscles and when you don’t use them for a time; it takes time for them to get back in shape.  I was running around because I could move, but I wasn’t doing much strategy in my movement.

What was going through head after world championships?

I have had breaks in my fencing before for a month or two, but nothing like this.  I went into the qualification year knowing I had to get some results.  I went into my first couple of world cups just moving around, but not being real smart about my movement.  My family and teammates had to calm me down a bit to remember to be smarter in how I fenced and not just move for movement’s sake!

I took a year off of school [Notre Dame ‘13, IT Management] so I could train for the Olympics which were great.  I knew I had the NACs and four World Cups left to try and qualify.  There was lots of pressure and no room for error.   Looking back, I really wish I could have a few bouts back where I was up also.

Every tourney I knew I had to fight as hard as I could and I had nights of lost sleep.  I had to win everything all of the time.

And it all came down to this Virginia Beach NAC.

Yep, I knew I could only do what I could do.  Miles [Chamley-Watson] was ahead in points and if he made the top 8, there was a pretty good chance he was going as the third team member even if I won the event.

It’s crazy to think that after a year of fencing world cups and NACs with thousands of points being racked up, that there was less than 10 points from the replacement athlete to the Olympic shot.  It just shows how close things were for all of us!

What is your mindset from the last Olympics to this Olympics?

Now that I know that I am the 4th!  HA!  It’s a bit different now.  I can still do the world cups and I’ll be training hard; but now I can be a bit more creative with my fencing.

It’s hard to break habits when you can’t make any mistakes.  You have to be ready at all times.  Now that some of the pressure is off, I can try and be more creative in how I make my touches.  You can get into a rut because of the pressure to always get that touch, but now I have a bit of creative license so to speak!

How do you feel about the chances for the US?

I’m super excited!  We are all great friends and we travel together a lot.  Each of us has had great results individually and collectively, we hope to bring home a medal!  I just need to be ready for the opportunity if it presents itself.

• Beets, as well as rhubarb and arugala, are rich sources of dietary nitrates, a compound that gets converted into nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and allows a person to exercise using less oxygen. In a study, cyclists consumed pre-ride beets and then three hours later (when NO peaks), they rode in a time trial. Every cyclist improved (on average, 2.8%) as compared to the time trial with no beets. Impressive! The amount of nitrates in 7 ounces (200 grams) beets is an effective dose. How about enjoying  beets—or a bowl of borchst—in your next pre-game meal?
• Fuel up while cooling down is a wise mantra for athletes who exercise intensely. Immediate replenishment of carbs and protein can decrease muscle soreness and inflammation, plus enhance muscle repair. What you eat before you exercise can also effectively reduce post-exercise recovery. In a study, trained athletes consumed two 10.5-oz. bottles per day of tart cherry juice the week before an excruciating exercise test. They recovered faster and lost only 4% of their pre-test strength, compared with 22% loss in the group without cherry juice.

  Tart cherries can help not only athletes but also individuals who suffer from the pain and inflammation associated with fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. Consuming tart cherry juice (two 10.5-ounce bottles/day for 10 days) reduced the muscle soreness associated with “fibro-flares” and enhanced recovery rate. Similar findings occurred in people suffering from osteoarthritis; drinking tart cherry juice for three weeks reduced arthritis pain.

  Tart cherries (the kind used in baking pies, not the sweet cherries enjoyed as snacks) have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Other foods that have high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity include raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Fruit smoothies, anyone?!

  Research to date has studied the effects of drinking 21 ounces of tart cherry juice per day for 1 to 3 weeks. (That’s the equivalent of eating 90 tart cherries/day). More research will determine the most effective dose and time-course. Because 21 ounces of tart cherry juice adds 260 calories to one’s energy intake, athletes will need to reduce other fruits or foods to make space for this addition to their daily intake.

• While sleeping used to be our most common “activity,” today it is sitting. The average person sits for 9 hours a day. Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for heart disease and creates health problems, including deep vein thrombosis  (as can happen on planes and during long computer games). Athletes who exercise for one or two hours  each day still need do more daily activity and not just sit in front of a screen all day. How about a treadmill desk or “desk-ercycle”?
• While we may be sitting more than in past years, we’re sleeping less: 80% of teens report getting less than the recommended nine hours of sleep; nearly 30% of adults report sleeping less than 6 hours each day. Not good. Sleep is a biological necessity. It is restorative and helps align our circadian rhythms.

  Sleep deprivation (less than five hours/night) erodes well being, has detrimental effects on health, and contributes to fat gain. When we become tired, grehlin, a hormone that makes us feel hungry, becomes more active and we can easily overeat. Sleep deprivation is also linked with Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

  Sleep deprivation is common among athletes who travel through time zones. This can impact performance by disrupting their circadian rhythms and causing undue fatigue and reduced motivation. In comparison, extending sleep can enhance performance. A study involving basketball players indicates they shot more baskets and completed more free throws when they were well rested versus sleep deprived. For top performance, make sleep a priority!

• In a few communities in the world, an usually high number of people live to be older than 100 years. What happens in those communities that contributes to the longer life? Some factors include choosing a plant-based diet, rarely overeating, having a life filled with purpose and meaning, connecting with others in the community, moving naturally and/or socially (as in bike commuting and walking with family and friends), enjoying alcohol socially, in moderation, and not smoking. If you want to join the centenarians, take steps to re-create those life-enhancing practices!

  Creating that life-extending culture has been done, to a certain extent, in Albert Lea, MN. The “Blue Zone” project included improving sidewalks and building walking paths around a lake. Restaurants supported the program by not bringing a bread basket automatically to customers, and not serving French fries (unless requested) with meals. These and many other environmental changes contributed to a healthier lifestyle that resulted in a 40% drop in the city employee healthcare costs over two years. Impressive, eh?

• Athletes, as well as obese people, commonly struggle with the belief their body is not “good enough.” This struggle gets too little attention from health care providers who focus more on the medical concerns of heart disease, cancer, and hypertension.  Yet, whether you are lean or obese, having poor body image often coincides with having low self-esteem. This combination generates poor self-care.

  In a five-year study with teens, low body satisfaction stimulated extreme and destructive dieting behaviors that led to weight gain, not weight loss. The same pattern is typical among many seemingly “healthy” athletes. If you want help finding peace with your body, please seek help from a sports dietitian. Use SCAN’s referral network—www.SCANdpg.org—to help you find someone local. What are you waiting for…?

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook and food guides for new runners, marathoners, and soccer players offer additional information. They are available at www.nancyclarkrd.com and sportsnutritionworkshop.com.

Two of the candidates for USA Fencing President have published their platforms and some answers to membership questions over in the forums.

The two that have joined in the discussion thus far are Donald Anthony and Felicia Zimmermann.  Felicia’s bio can also be found as a pdf file here.  Donald joined in the thread on Election Candidates and Felicia’s bio was posted on a separate thread.

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Italy hosts the Women's Saber world cup this weekend.

Women’s events span the globe this weekend as Women’s Saber heads to Bologna, Foil is contested in Shanghai, and Epee is off to Rio.

Mariel Zagunis will battle in Bologna to take back the world #1 ranking from Sofia Velikaia (RUS).  The US cadre includes Dagmara Wozniak, Daria Schneider, Ibtihaj Muhammad, and Celina Merza.  Zagunis and Wozniak have byes to the top-64 while the remaining US athletes will fence out of pools.

For the team event, we’ll look to see how the countries decide to field teams.  France has already stated that Perrus will not fence in the team event, giving the chance for new fencers to try out in the team slots.  This is a recurring theme in an Olympic year as federations start to look at what their lineups will be for the following Olympic Quad.

At stake for the athletes is their seeding into the 2012 Olympic Games.  Final phases of the individual event and the final of the team event will be broadcast live on RaiSport1 Saturday at 4:30 pm (local) and Sunday at 4:30 pm (local).

In Rio, Courtney Hurley (FIE #16) is the only USA fencer to start directly in the tableau of 64 on Sunday. Of the top 25 FIE ranked epeeistes only Geroudet #6 (SUI) and Embrich #25 (EST) are not registered to compete in Rio.

Here there are also teams being tried out, as Flessel will not fence in the team event for France.  Flessel is France’s lone competitor at the Olympics for Women’s Epee as she qualified via the zonal qualification process after the team failed to earn a berth at the Games.

Women’s Foil heads off to Shanghai to compete in the team and individual events.  Valentina Vezzali and Elisa Di Francisca both look to lead Italy to the top of the results while Hyun Hee Nam (KOR) will look to get another win under her belt.

US fencers Nzingha Prescod (15th), Doris Willette (14th), and Lee Kiefer (6th) all rank in the top-16 and will have byes to the final 64.

Wakayama Big Wave

The Prince Takamado Grand Prix event was one that punished oddsmakers and rewarded those taking long shots as no fencer in the top-10 made it to the final-8 of the direct elimination table.

Jianfei Ma (CHN) won the grand prix event 15-13 over Byung Chul Choi (KOR) while Richard Kruse (GBR) and Marius Braun (GER) shared bronze.

Ma was the 13th seed and defeated teammate Sheng Lei (CHN), who was seeded 12th, in the quarter-finals before defeating #18 Richard Kruse (GBR) 15-14 in the semi-finals.

Choi made it to the finals with a quarter-final victory over Alessio Foconi (ITA) and then Marius Braun (GER) with a 15-13 score.

Britain actually placed 2 fencers in the top-8 as James Davis placed 6th.  The Italian fencers did not do as well as the top finisher was Alessio Foconi in 8th.  Cassara and Baldini took 9th and 10th respectively.

The top US result was posted by Race Imboden who came in 11th.  Imboden, the 6th seed, started off with a 15-9 victory over Dmitry Komissarov (RUS) and a 15-9 win over Edoardo Luperi (ITA) before falling in the top-16 to Sheng Lei, 15-11.

Top fencers upset:

Top seed Andrea Cassara made it to the top-16 where he lost to Richard Kruse, 15-13.  3rd seed Erwan Le Pechoux (FRA) and 4th seed Giorgio Avola (ITA) both lost in their opening rounds.

Gladius also posted the reactions from France and Italy of each getting one fencer into the final 8.

Italy was, understandably, upset by the performance:

“This was for sure a not very satisfactory performance,” reflects Stefano Cerioni, Italian foil CT. “It was a very peculiar competition where the large majority of the top 16 ranked athletes in the world got stopped in the early DE rounds. I congratulate Alessio Foconi for reaching the quarterfinals. As for the others this competition will be useful as an experience and to help us remember that we must step on the strip with total focus and taking advantage of each individual qualities and characteristics. This is not an alarming bell but rather a lesson we must pay attention to.”

France had a different take on the results, as they are looking for which young fencers can step into a senior role:

According to statements from men’s foil coach Stéphane Marcelin, Boris Lefort earned good points this past Sunday as did Jean-Paul Tony Helissey (1990) finishing 16th. But between these two young and eager foilists an old veteran got in the middle. Brice Guyart (1981) showed that he is not done yet finishing 14th. OTOH, Terence Joubert (1982) who shined in the Master de Melun, blew it by finishing 58th.

While the US and Italian teams seem to be set, the French team for the Olympics has not been finalized yet.  France is using the last few world cups before June as a race for the final spots on the team.

Results: Prince Takamado Grand Prix (Grand Prix event, 1.5x point multiplier)

With Olympic qualification complete, fencers and teams now look to the rest of the world cup season to work on their FIE rankings which will be used for the seeding into the direct elimination brackets at the Olympics.

Since athletes are no longer chasing after qualification points, and countries know if they have fencers qualified, countries will focus on sending athletes who are qualified for the Games or athletes they are looking to develop for the Rio Olympic cycle.

This weekend’s events are open for discussion on the forums. Gladius offers his insight as to how the nations are using these final world cups to prepare for the Olympics:

“Most nations wait to make the final decision on who will be part of the national team at the Olympics until later to give everyone a fair chance and to come up with the best/strongest team as close to the Olympic games as possible. The national selection is not only based on international points but on the evaluation and recommendation of the selection commission which then is reviewed and may be changed by the national federation.”

Men’s epee and women’s saber are especially impacted as the team world championships have already happened, so some countries are not entering teams while others may be giving their younger fencers a try to give more experience for the next Olympic cycle.

Men's Sabre fences in Athens, Greece

Men’s Saber: Coupe Akropolis World Cup (Athens, Greece)
Discussion: http://www.fencing.net/forums/thread57079.html

Only Greece (host), France, and Italy have 12 fencers signed up for this world cup. 129 athletes from 20 countries are registered for this event.

Daryl Homer reports that all 4 members of the US Olympic squad have advanced to the top-64. [Saturday's] Matchups are as follows: Homer vs. Yagodka, Spear vs. Pastore, Morehouse vs. Reshetnikov, Williams vs. Muorolo.

Men’s Foil: Prince Takamado Trophy Wakayama, Japan. (Grand Prix event)

93 fencers are entered in this event and Gerek Meinhardt has posted the pools via his Facebook feed.

Men’s Foil discussion: http://www.fencing.net/forums/thread57082.html

Initiial pools for the Japan Men's Foil Grand Prix

Elisa Di Francisca (ITA) will look to keep her #1 world ranking.

Women’s Foil: Challenge Jeanty Grand Prix Marseilles, France

US outlook: Of the 4 USA foil fencers registered, Kiefer (#7 FIE), Prescod (#16 FIE), and Willette (#17 FIE) will start on Sunday in the tableau of 64. Ross (#30 FIE) will have to go through the qualification rounds on Saturday.

Follow the competition in streaming Video, Sunday April the 29th 2012 starting at 8:30 am

Heidenheim Senior Men’s Epee world cup (individual and team)
Discussion: http://www.fencing.net/forums/thread57081.html

Of the 191 fencers registered for the individual competition, Germany, as the host country will have 24 fencers, followed by France, Italy, and Switzerland with 12, the maximum allowed. USA has 7 fencers with only Soren Thompson directly qualified for the second day in the table of 64.

After pools Seth Kelsey joins Soren Thompson on advancing to day two of the event. Seth Kelsey only dropped one pool bout (5-4) to come out with a +13 indicator and the 30th seed going into day two.

We’ll post results as we can Facebook and Twitter along with photos we have coming in from some events.  After the weekend we’ll have the recap articles to outline the impacts of these results to seeding for London.

The video highlights the season for the US Men’s Epee and Women’s Saber teams as well as some of the breakout stars of the season from US Fencing.

Abedini (IRI) qualified for the 2012 Olympics in Men's Saber. Photo S.Timacheff/FencingPhotos.com

The Olympic qualification cycle is now complete.  The final events for individual qualification to the 2012 Olympic Games concluded last weekend with the Zonal Qualification tournaments for the Americas, Africa, Asia-Oceana, and Europe.  Those fencers are added on to the end of the list of qualifiers for the various individual events.

For the primer of how fencers qualified for the Olympic Games, please refer to our original article: The Long and Winding Road to London.

Countries that qualified teams in Men’s Foil, Men’s Sabre, Women’s Foil, and Women’s Epee still need to submit their athletes but we can make good guesses, based on the FIE ratings of those fencers, who each team will be sending.  Later on this week we’ll publish our final spreadsheet of the individual qualifiers along with the FIE rankings that will be used for seeding into the Olympic competitions.

Breakdown of additional zonal qualifiers:

Africa: (1 qualifier for each individual event)

WE: ABDEL AZIZ Mona (EGY)
WF: KHELFAOUI Anissa (ALG)
WS: MOUTOUSSAMY Lea Melissa (ALG)
ME: EL HAOUARI Abdelkarim (MAR)
MF: ALI Xavier (MAR)
MS: GHAZY Mannad (EGY)

Asia: (1 qualifier for WE, WF, MF, MS; 3 for WS and ME)

WE: NAKANO Nozomi (JPN)
WF: SHAITO Mona (LIB)
MF: SHAITO Zain (LIB)
MS: ABEDINI SHORMASTI Mojtara (IRI)

ME-1: KUDAYEV Ruslan (UZB)
ME-2: NGUYEN Tien Nhat (VIE)
ME-3: LEUNG Ka Ming (HKG)

Leung won 15-14 over Evgeny Naumkin (KGZ) for the 3rd and final zonal qualifying spot for Men’s Epee from the Asian zone.

WS-1: ZHIVITSA Yuliya (KAZ)
WS-2: AU Sin Ying (HKG)
WS-3: PERMATASARI Diah (INA)

Pan America (1 qualifier for WE, WF, MF, MS; 2 for WS and ME)

WE: MARTINEZ Maria (VEN)
WF: FUENMAYOR CHOLES Johana Beatriz (VEN)
MF:     TOLDO Guilherme (BRA)
MS: JANSEN Hernan (VEN)

ME-1: INOSTROZA BUDINICH Paris A. (CHI)
ME-2: SCHWANTES Athos (BRA)

WS-1: BENITEZ Alejandra (VEN)
WS-2: GONZALEZ Ursula (MEX)

Europe (2 qualifiers for WE, WF, MF, MS; 4 for WS and ME)

WE: SZASZ Emese (HUN)
WE: FLESSEL-COLOVIC Laura (FRA)

WF: LELEYKO Olga A. (UKR)
WF: SHEPPARD Natalia (GBR)

WS: MIKINA Sabina (AZE)
WS: TSCHOMAKOVA Margarita (BUL)
WS: PASCU Bianca Alexandra (ROU)
WS: BUJDOSO Alexandra (GER)

ME: KARUCHENKO Dmitriy (UKR)
ME: SUKHOV Pavel (RUS)
ME: ZAWROTNIAK Radoslaw (POL)
ME: PIASECKI Bartosz (NOR)

MF: DARABAN Radu (ROU)
MF: JOVANOVIC Bojan (CRO)

MS: BOYKO Dmytro (UKR)
MS: SKRODZKI Adam (POL)