2026 Junior & Cadet Worlds, Day 3: Junior Men's Saber Team Claims Fourth Straight World Title
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by Bryan Wendell
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Four years. Four gold medals.
The U.S. Junior Men's Saber team of Will Morrill (Scarsdale Fencing Center, Columbia University), Emilio Gonzalez (Scarsdale Fencing Center, Fencers Club), Silas Choi (Globus Fencing Academy, Princeton University) and Shaun Kim (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club) claimed gold on Day 3 of the 2026 Junior & Cadet Fencing World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, extending Team USA's streak to four consecutive world titles in the event.
Morrill, who also earned individual silver on Day 1, has been part of all four championship teams — a remarkable thread of continuity through what has become one of the most dominant runs in recent Junior Worlds history. He reflected on how far the program has come since a disappointing 17th place in this event in 2022.
"From round of 32 [in 2022] to winning the year after," Morrill says. "It was 2023 that felt absolutely unbelievable. And then each year it just piles on top, on top, on top again. Each year it's kind of a similar story — we start a little slow in the first round, we have some really close matches, it wakes us up, we find our flow, and we keep carrying it all the way."
Gonzalez captured the spirit of the team's achievement.
"The faces have changed each year," he says, "but one thing has stayed the same — our determination."
And when Gonzalez mentioned seeing his family cheering from the crowd, Morrill was quick to add: "This is our family too, right here."
On the women's side, Charmaine Andres (Cali Fencing), Dora Zhang (LA Fencing Academy of Pomona), Brynnley McKee (Z1 Fencing, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club) and Sophie Liu (Capital Fencing Academy, Yale University) finished 8th out of 33 teams — a strong result in a deep field.
Junior Women's Saber Team
8th place: Charmaine Andres (Cali Fencing), Dora Zhang (LA Fencing Academy of Pomona), Brynnley McKee (Z1 Fencing, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club), Sophie Liu (Capital Fencing Academy, Yale University)
Junior Men's Saber Team
Gold and 2026 Junior World Champions: Will Morrill (Scarsdale Fencing Center, Columbia University), Emilio Gonzalez (Scarsdale Fencing Center, Fencers Club), Silas Choi (Globus Fencing Academy, Princeton University), Shaun Kim (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club)
