2026 Junior & Cadet Worlds, Day 1: Will Morrill Earns Junior World Silver in Men's Saber, Capping Epic Two-Week Run

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — It’s been quite the last two weeks for Will Morrill (Scarsdale Fencing Center, Columbia University). After earning bronze at the 2026 NCAA Fencing Championships and his first FIE senior gold medal just four days ago, Morrill had his best ever finish as a Junior at the Junior World Championships, earning silver on the first day of the 2026 Junior & Cadet Fencing World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The tournament, which features more than 1,600 athletes from 109 countries, represents the culmination of the 2025-26 junior and cadet season — and Morrill’s final appearance in the annual event.

In the semifinal, Morrill defeated 2026 NCAA Men's Saber national champion Ahmed Hesham of Notre Dame — a fencer Morrill knows well. The Columbia sophomore finished third at that same NCAA championship just weeks ago.

The silver is Morrill's best Junior finish at the Junior World Championships, topping the bronze he earned in Junior Men's Saber in 2024. He finished 17th in 2025 before this remarkable run in Rio.

It also extends a record of Junior & Cadet Worlds excellence that began when Morrill was still a cadet. He earned Cadet bronze at the 2022 championships in Dubai, then went to Plovdiv in 2023 to win Cadet gold. He earned Junior bronze in 2024 in Riyadh. Four of his five appearances at this tournament have ended on the podium.

The rest of the Junior Men's Saber squad contributed strong performances as well. Emilio Gonzalez (Scarsdale Fencing Center, Fencers Club) was the next American across the line, finishing 5th in a deep field. Silas Choi (Globus Fencing Academy, Princeton University) finished 23rd, and Shaun Kim (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club) was close behind in 25th.

In Junior Women's Saber, Charmaine Andres (Cali Fencing) led the U.S. contingent with a 19th-place finish, followed by Dora Zhang (LA Fencing Academy of Pomona) in 22nd, Brynnley McKee (Z1 Fencing, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club) in 25th, and Sophie Liu (Capital Fencing Academy, Yale University) in 34th.

Junior Women's Saber

19th place: Charmaine Andres (Cali Fencing)

22nd place: Dora Zhang (LA Fencing Academy of Pomona)

25th place: Brynnley McKee (Z1 Fencing, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club)

34th place: Sophie Liu (Capital Fencing Academy, Yale University)

Junior Men’s Saber

Silver: Will Morrill (Scarsdale Fencing Center, Columbia University)

5th place: Emilio Gonzalez (Scarsdale Fencing Center, Fencers Club)

23rd place: Silas Choi (Globus Fencing Academy, Princeton University)

25th place: Shaun Kim (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club)