Junior & Cadet Worlds, Day 6: Underdog Junior Men's Foil Team Claims World Title; Women Earn Bronze in Memorable Day for Team USA

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Nobody picked them to win. They hadn't placed consistently all season. They came in seeded ninth. None of it mattered.

The U.S. Junior Men's Foil team of Peter Bruk (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Roy Graham (Jovanovic Fencing, Harvard University), Castor Kao (Star Fencing Academy, Yale University) and Luao Yang (Renaissance Fencing Club) claimed gold on Day 6 of the 2026 Junior & Cadet Fencing World Championships, defeating France 45-31 in the final to cap one of the most unlikely championship runs of the tournament.

"This medal means absolutely everything," said Graham. "We've been underdogs all year, all the World Cups. We haven't placed consistently, but today, we came together as a team and won."

On their way to gold, the ninth-seeded Americans defeated four of the world's top eight programs: 8th-ranked Hungary (45-31), 1st-ranked China (45-40), 5th-ranked Great Britain (45-37) and 6th-ranked France (45-31) in the final. Their only opponent outside the top 10 was Spain, whom they dispatched 45-21 in the opening round.

The China bout was the turning point — and nearly the end of the road.

"The most difficult moment was against China," said Bruk. "We had a couple bouts where we lost our momentum and then had to energize each other and get it back. We were able to do that, and we held on."

They held on, 45-40. From there, they never looked back — a 45-37 victory over Great Britain in the semifinals set up the final against France, where the Americans delivered their most complete performance of the day.

Kao saved a special dedication for the closing moment.

"We'd like to dedicate this medal to USA Men's Foil, who supported us the whole way through," he said, "and also to Daniel Zhang — the greatest mentor out there."

Zhang was part of the U.S. Junior Men's Foil team that won gold at the 2024 championships in Riyadh — the last time the Americans claimed this title before today. The 2025 team finished 17th in Wuxi. This group, entirely different in composition, has written its own chapter.

On the women's side, the top-seeded Junior Women's Foil team of Jaelyn Liu (Star Fencing Academy, Fencing Institute of Texas), Caterina Fedeli (Epic Fencing Club), Ella Calise (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club) and Katerina Lung (Moe Fencing Club, Columbia University) fell to China in the semifinals before bouncing back to defeat Japan for bronze — a fitting close to a week in which Liu made history with her individual performances and Calise and Fedeli both reached the individual top 10.

Junior Women's Foil Team

Bronze: Jaelyn Liu (Star Fencing Academy, Fencing Institute of Texas), Caterina Fedeli (Epic Fencing Club), Ella Calise (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club), Katerina Lung (Moe Fencing Club, Columbia University)

Junior Men's Foil Team

Gold and 2026 Junior World Champions: Peter Bruk (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Roy Graham (Jovanovic Fencing, Harvard University), Castor Kao (Star Fencing Academy, Yale University), Luao Yang (Renaissance Fencing Club)