USA Fencing

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Ilho “Edward” Choi (Boston Fencing Club) had seen it all the day before.

On Monday — a day before his competition in Vet-50 Men’s Saber, Choi says he closed his eyes and imagined what would happen the next day. He saw himself walking up the ramp onto the finals strip. He pictured saluting the crowd and the referee. He even saw the final score of his gold medal bout displayed on the stripside TVs: 10-6.

“I just closed my eyes, deep-breathed and imagined,” Choi says.

About 24 hours later, most of those visualizations played out exactly as Choi imagined — with the exception of the score, which was actually 10-8.

Choi’s national championship was among the highlights on the fifth day of the 2023 National Championships and July Challenge, also known as Summer Nationals. Exactly 17 medals were awarded on one of the tournament’s busiest days.

Choi entered the sport 11 years ago when he took his son to the fencing club.

“They told me if we had two people it would be cheaper, so I said, ‘OK,’” Choi says. “I liked the timing and the distance and the feeling.”

So he stuck with it and will now represent Team USA this fall at the 2023 Veteran Fencing World Championships in Daytona Beach. And what goal is he visualizing for that tournament?

“Of course, champion,” he says. “I don’t like second.”

Julie Seal (Valkyrie Fencing Club) is hoping to become a champion at this October’s Vet Worlds, as well. After losing by one touch in overtime to the eventual world champion in her event, she’s ready for a rematch.

Seal won the Vet-50 Women’s Foil national championship on Tuesday, securing her spot in Daytona.

“I really want to climb that mountain,” Seal says. “I would love to come home with two gold medals — two world golds this year. I'm really working hard for the money, hoping it pays off.”

Joining Seal on Team USA will be Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Connecticut Fencers Club), the 2023 Vet-60 Women’s Foil national champion.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” she says. “We work hard all year long. And it's a pretty proud moment, especially if you hear your anthem being played. And the camaraderie is great. It's just a wonderful thing.”

Senior Team Women’s Epee

Gold Medalists: Team Blue (Kat Holmes OLY, Hadley Husisian, Kasia Nixon, Isis Washington)

Silver: Team Red (Anne Cebula, Michaela Joyce, Kai Liu, Tierna Oxenreider)

Bronze: The Exhalted Cerebral Warriors (Meera Desai, Alysa Jakel, Sophia Jakel, Jolie Korfonta)

 

Senior Team Men’s Saber

Gold Medalist: All Around the Globus (Tony Escueta, Rubin Hong, Alex Pan, Bernard Witek)

Silver: Tall Kids + Noah and Ethan (Gabriel Babayev, Ethan Huang, Justin Miclaus, Noah Zeng)

Bronze: Miracle Fencing Club (Matthew Chin, Leo Feng, William Fenker, Landon Su)

 

Division IA Men’s Epee

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Ivan Goriunov (South Florida Fencing Club)

Silver: Adam Rodney (Peter Westbrook Foundation / Fencers Club Inc.)

Bronze: Owen Richard (Ocean State Fencing Club)

Bronze: Houston Fullerton (Olympic Fencers Club)

5th: Gabriel Evers (LA International Fencing)

6th: Lawrence He (Medeo Fencing Club / Wanglei International Fencing Club)

7th: Daniel Gao (Cavalier Fencing Club)

8th: Benjamin Kim (Academy Of Fencing Masters - AFM)

 

Cadet Women’s Foil

Gold Medalist: Katerina Lung (Moe Fencing Club LLC)

Silver: Lydia Shen (Star Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Mikayla Chusid (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Joy Zhaoyi Liu (Golubitsky Fencing Center)

5th: Emily Jing (Star Fencing Academy)

6th: Nadia Hayes (CAN)

7th: Hailey M. Eyer (Manchen Academy Of Fencing)

8th: Jaelyn A. Liu (Star Fencing Academy / Fencing Institute Of Texas)

 

Cadet Women’s Saber

Gold Medalist: Irene Jung (Premier Fencing Academy LLC)

Silver: Charmaine G. Andres (Southern California Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Carina Festa (Bergen Fencing Club)

Bronze: Sophia I. Schiminovich (Oregon Fencing Alliance)

5th: Brynnley McKee (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club)

6th: Marley I. Kim (Manhattan Fencing Center)

7th: Reya Ghayalod (Durkan Fencing Academy)

8th: Keira Lauri (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club)

 

Cadet Men’s Foil

Gold: Richard Li (Star Fencing Academy)

Silver: Luao Yang (Renaissance Fencing Club)

Bronze: Julian Goor (Massialas Foundation (M Team))

Bronze: Owen Traugot (Manhattan Fencing Center)

5th: Justice Cullivan (Columbus Fencing And Fitness LLC)

6th: Cristiano Coelho (Massialas Foundation (M Team))

7th: Steven Miall (Moe Fencing Club LLC)

8th: Conrad Lo (Massialas Foundation (M Team))

 

Vet-40 Women’s Foil

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Inga Cho (Renaissance Fencing Club)

Silver: Polina McGrath (Plymouth/Ann Arbor Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Lacey Maddox (Charlotte Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Kathryn Pierrynowski (Research Triangle Fencing)

5th: Soyeon Lippman (Salle Auriol Seattle)

6th: Amy Sue Greenleaf (Fencers School Of Connecticut)

7th: Velyn Wu (Invictus Fencing / University Of Florida Fencing Club)

8th: Rachel Fedde (Brooklyn Fencing Center)

 

Vet-50 Women’s Foil

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Julie T. Seal (Valkyrie Fencing Club)

Silver: Bonnie L. Hennig-Trestman (Research Triangle Fencing / Connecticut Fencers Club)

Bronze: Margaret Fagan (Fencers Club Inc.)

Bronze: Celine De La Foscade-Condon (Moe Fencing Club LLC)

5th: Jane P. Carter (Marx Fencing Academy / Tanner City Fencers Club)

6th: Judith M. Bassik (Profencing)

7th: Monica L. Morrison (Salle Auriol Seattle)

8th: Ann M. Totemeier (Northern Colorado Fencers / Denver Fencing Center)

 

Vet-60 Women’s Foil

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Connecticut Fencers Club)

Silver: Elizabeth Merritt (Rockville Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Georgina Love (Space Coast Olympic Fencing)

Bronze: Nora Gutkovskaya (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy)

5th: Allison F. Treloar (Salle De Long Fencers / NMFC/Duke City Fencing)

6th: Anne-Marie Walters (Masters Fencing Club)

7th: Sharone A. Huey (Brooklyn Fencing Center)

8th: Monisha B. Tasker (Marx Fencing Academy / Worcester Fencing Club)

 

Vet-70 Women’s Foil

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Judith "Jude" Offerle (RedStar Fencing Club Chicago / University Of Notre Dame NCAA)

Silver: Joanne Stevens (Fencers Club Inc.)

Bronze: Patricia Lutton (Denver Fencing Center)

Bronze: Muriel Cawthorn (Rhode Island Fencing Academy And Club)

5th: Deborah Theriault (Pittsburgh Fencers Club)

6th: Gemin Channing (Rockville Fencing Academy / Nazlymov Fencing Foundation)

7th: Bettie Graham (Chevy Chase Fencing Club)

8th: Marsha Reichman (Fencing Sports Academy, Inc. / Capital Fencing Academy)

 

Vet-80 Women’s Foil

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Bettie J. Graham (Chevy Chase Fencing Club)

Silver: Patricia G. Bedrosian (Salle Couturier)

Bronze: Mary A. Turzillo (On Target Fencing Team / Cyranos Place)

 

Vet-40 Men’s Saber

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Ivan J. Lee OLY (Long Island University NCAA / Long Island Fencing Center)

Silver: Jeffrey E. Kallio (Forge Fencing Teams)

Bronze: Gherardo Mauri (Enfield Fencing Club / Manhattan Fencing Center)

Bronze: James Zirkle (RedStar Fencing Club Chicago)

5th: Andrew T. Anfora (Team Touche Fencing Center)

6th: Julio C. Robles (Capitol)

7th: Benjamin J. Dirsmith (Salle Auriol Seattle / Washington Fencing Academy)

8th: Derek Plonka (Avant Garde Fencers Club, Inc (CA) (AGFC))

 

Vet-50 Men’s Saber

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Ilho “Edward” Choi (Boston Fencing Club)

Silver: Kevin Chu (Manhattan Fencing Center)

Bronze: Michael F. Bacon (Manhattan Fencing Center)

Bronze: Stephen Dashnaw (Lilov Fencing Academy)

5th: William L. Becker (Gateway Florida)

6th: Naoum P. Issa (RedStar Fencing Club Chicago)

7th: Matthew Zoller (Fencing Academy Of Denver)

8th: Henri Tannas (Globus Fencing Academy)

 

Vet-60 Men’s Saber

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Chris Matt (Capital Fencing Academy)

Silver: Mark R. Lundborg (Washington Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Dmitri Kopylov (Lilov Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Todd Bukowski (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation)

5th: Donald H. Malnati (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation)

6th: Joshua Runyan (Spartak)

7th: Steven D. Heck (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation / Rockville Fencing Academy)

8th: Thomas J. Chambers (Infinity Fencing Alliance / Zeljkovic Fencing Academy)

 

Vet-70 Men’s Saber

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Michael Szathmary (Middle Tennessee Fencing Club)

Silver: Joseph Streb (Columbus International Fencing Academy / Royal Arts Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Philip Kath (South Carolina Division)

Bronze: C. David Seuss (Fencing Academy Of Boston)

5th: Keith Baker (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation)

6th: Martin Gravis (Wasatch Fencing / Schoolhouse Fencing)

7th: Costa Nichols (Las Vegas Fencing Academy)

8th: Frank Hollingsworth (Lancaster Fencing Academy / Carlisle Fencing Club)

 

Vet-80 Men’s Saber

Gold Medalist and National Champion: Costa Nichols (Las Vegas Fencing Academy)

Silver: Victor (Vic) E. Bianchini (Spartak)

Bronze: Lucas T. Dobrzanski (Kern Athletic Fencing Foundation / Gryphon Fencing)

Bronze: Tung-Shan (Fritz) Chang (NEMA Fencing Center)

Fifth: Hans Bogensberger (Phoenix Falcons Fencing Club)

 

Veteran Team Men’s Epee

Gold Medalist: BBFC (Walter Dragonetti, Sangyup Lee, Cedric Loiseau, and Evan Ranes)

Silver: NYAC Immortals (Jonathan Bartlett, Chris O'Loughlin, Alexander Tsinis, Rick Watrall)

Bronze: Marx Fencing Academy (Fox Harrell, John Jones, Adam Maczik, Robert Stewart)

 

See the complete results on Fencing Time.

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