January 2026 SJCC, Day 1 Recap: One Touch at a Time
by Rachel Luce
MEMPHIS, TN. - The first day of the 2026 Super Junior and Cadet Circuit was full of strong mentality across the board. Fencers showed the ability to stay composed through momentum swings, adjust strategies mid-bout. To say the least, fencing is a marathon and not a sprint.
Claire Lee(Arena Fencing Academy LLC) knows this well. Despite being ranked #1 coming out of pools, Lee kept her head in the game. Her ability to manage pressure and stay focused one touch at a time highlighted the importance of mental toughness.
“Just focus on each touch, especially when she was catching up. I was just able to take one touch at a time.”
Before the final bout, James Lin (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy), experienced the demands of mentality firsthand in the table of 8s. Fighting through a potential elimination with the score 10-10, Lin relied on composure and tactical awareness to handle the rest of the bout.
“I think my proudest moment was in the table of 8. I fenced a pretty strong opponent,” he says. “I think I ended the bout out really strong when it was 10-10.”
The night before the tournament began, Lin prepared mentally while battling a cold. By prioritizing mindset, he ensured he would step onto the strip ready to compete with clarity and resilience despite the physical setback.
With two days left in Memphis, mental toughness and managing momentum could be the key to gold.
Day 1 Results
Cadet Women’s Epee
Gold: Claire Lee (Arena Fencing Academy LLC)
Silver: Caitlin Wong (South Florida Fencing Club)
Bronze: Cayla Goh (Revolution Fencing Center & Fencing Academy of Philadelphia - North)
Bronze: Julieanne Qi (Guanyi Fencing Academy)
5th: Helena Holden (Alliance Fencing Academy)
6th: Serena Jiang
7th: Suzanna Shayakhmetova (Arena Fencing Academy LLC)
8th: Charlie Kropp (Elite Fencing Academy & EFA)
Cadet Men’s Epee
Gold: Joey Wang (Swords Fencing Studio)
Silver: Mohnish Gumedelli (Medeo Fencing Club)
Bronze: Boden Lai (Marx Fencing Academy & Cavalier Fencing Club)
Bronze: Daniel Dodin (New York Fencing Academy)
5th: Maxwell Tse (North Shore Fencers Club)
6th: William Siedow (Twin Cities Fencing Club & DC Fencers Club)
7th: James Boudreaux (Elite Fencing Academy & EFA)
8th: Rain Li (Davis Fencing Academy)
Junior Men’s Foil
Gold: James Lin (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy)
Silver: Jason Qian (Epic Fencing Club & Star Fencing Academy)
Bronze: Chenqiao Zhou
Bronze: Ethan Choi (Golubitsky Fencing Center)
5th: Alexander Tang (OnTarget Fencing Club)
6th: Arjun Deshmukh (Austin Fencers Club)
7th: Tiya Biaya (Empire United Fencing & Peter Westbrook Foundation)
8th: Eddie Ling (Massialas Foundation (M Team))
Junior Women’s Saber
Gold: Anna Suvorova (Dynamo Fencing Center Inc.)
Silver: Heartlyn Tabangay (Midwest Fencing Club)
Bronze: Amari Pantaleon-Mazola (Nellya Fencers)
Bronze: Jessie Long (West Coast Fencing Academy)
5th: Evelyn Jiang (LA Fencing Academy of Pomona)
6th: Elaine Lin (West Coast Fencing Academy)
7th: Anna Hu (Advance Fencing and Fitness Academy & Fencing Club of Mercer County)
8th: Satie Kim (Southern California Fencing Academy (SOCALFA))