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Advancing to Gold: Celebrating 125 Years of International Excellence

Advancing to Gold: Celebrating 125 Years of International Excellence

USA Fencing hosted Advancing to Gold: Celebrating 125 Years of International Excellence in July of 2020. This three-day celebration marked the one-year countdown to Tokyo and honored the achievements over the last 125 years on the world’s biggest stage.

One of five sports to be contested at every modern Olympic Games since 1896, the three-day extravaganza honored the excellence achieved in the last 125 years, in which USA Fencing has seen 50 athletes reach the Olympic podium.  Advancing to Gold celebrated the past, present and future of fencing with participation from Olympic hopefuls as well as Olympians across five decades. 

Schedule

Thursday, July 23

  • This is What a Fencer Looks Like (Instagram Live)
    Tokyo Olympic hopeful Iman Blow explores the past, present and future of fencing on the international stage with interviews from Olympic medalists Peter Westbrook and Daryl Homer as well as 2016 Olympian Jason Pryor and 2019 Junior and Cadet World Champion Lauren Scruggs. Westbrook became the first African-American to medal in the sport of fencing in 1984 and Homer followed with a silver medal in 2016. Pryor is a five-time Senior World Team member and two-time Pan American Games medalist while Scruggs is one of Team USA’s rising stars after she became the first U.S. foil fencer ever to win junior and cadet titles at the same Worlds. Topics that will be discussed include making history, their careers and why representation matters in the sport.
  • Road to Tokyo 2021
    Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls Jackie Dubrovich, Ellen Geddes, Jake Hoyle, Nick Itkin, Eliza Stone, Khalil Thompson and Isis Washington answer pre-submitted questions and discuss their journey toward qualifying for their first Games.

Friday, July 24

  • The Opening Ceremony Experience
    What is it like to walk out with the best athletes from across the globe and represent Team USA? Find out as Olympians Mariel Zagunis, Alexander Massialas, Erinn Smart, Greg Massialas and Paralympian Cat Bouwkamp reflect on the iconic moment.
  • Medal Memories (Instagram Story)
    Past Olympic medalists share their emotions and thoughts after winning an Olympic medal and standing on the podium.
  • The Evolution of Fencing
    Gary Lu, President of Absolute Fencing Gear, and Serge Timacheff, a marketing consultant for Absolute Fencing Gear, talk about the growth the sport of fencing has seen and the role technology has played.
  • USA Fencing Feud
    Watch as women's epee teammates Kat Holmes and Anna Van Brummen and women's foil teammates Nicole Ross and Nzinga Prescod see how well they know each other.

Saturday, July 25

  • Women In Fencing: Conversations with a Breakout Generation
    Iris Zimmermann, Ann Marsh-Senic and Leslie Marx discuss the growth they've seen in women's fencing since their historic firsts in the sport.
  • Live Workout with Monica Aksamit (Instagram Live)
    Join 2016 Olympic team bronze medalist Monica Aksamit for a live workout that will get your heart pumping and have you excited for the year ahead.

Countdown to Tokyo Olympic Games

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Please flex your philanthropy and celebrate our fencing community so that we can continue to advance fencing in the United States for another 125 years of international excellence. By donating now, we can advance closer to GOLD.