USA Fencing

MILAN, Italy — After four wins in her first four pools bouts, Kasia Nixon (Peter Westbrook Foundation, Fencers Club Inc.) was feeling it.

“So we just tried to keep those vibes going throughout,” she says. “And I would say the last two bouts, I felt really good — very confident. And I knew that I had a very good chance of making it through the second day if I didn’t mess up. That just made me fight harder.”

Nixon had the right kind of fight on Day 1 of the 2023 Fencing World Championships in Italy, where the Team USA women’s epee fencer won all six of her pools bouts to advance straight from pools to the main table of 64 on Tuesday.

But she didn’t just win all six bouts. She won them by a combined score of 28-8 for an indicator of +20. That was the best indicator of the 12 fencers who were undefeated in pools, meaning Nixon was the top qualifier from Day 1.

At most international tournaments, the main table of 64 is constructed of three parts:

• The 16 highest-ranked fencers entering the tournament, who bypass pools and preliminary direct-elimination bouts and advance straight to the main table.
• The 16 fencers with the best record in pools.
• The 32 fencers who win their bouts in the preliminary table of 64.

Joining Nixon in that first category was Isis Washington (Peter Westbrook Foundation, Top Fencing Club & Bordeaux Performance Escrime), whose 5-0 (+11) pool performance was good enough for 10th place in the pools rankings.

“I really just focused on what I’ve been focusing on in training and just keeping my head straight and making sure that I don’t make unnecessary mistakes,” she says. “And it worked out. I took advantage of the pool that I had and kept my head on.”

Fencing at her first Senior World Championships, Anne Cebula (New York Athletic Club, New York Fencing Academy) advanced to the main table, too. After going 4-1 (+8) in pools, she won two direct-elimination bouts to secure her place in Tuesday’s draw.

Cebula says she was feeling the nerves when she stepped onto the strip for her first pool bout. But when she arrived at the first direct-elimination bout a couple of hours later, she felt a shift.

“Halfway through, something clicked,” she says. “I was kind of like, ‘Hold up — we’re here for a reason.’ And things just started snowballing from there. I'm happy and grateful that the click happened when it did.”

Also clicking on Day 1: Team USA’s men’s saber team, which advanced all four fencers to Tuesday’s main table.

By virtue of his world ranking (13), Eli Dershwitz OLY (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club) didn’t have to fence at all on Saturday. Meanwhile, his teammate Colin Heathcock (Christian Bauer Academy, Manhattan Fencing Center) soared through pools with a 6-0 record and a +20 indicator, good enough for fourth place and a direct path to the main table.

Andrew Doddo (Fencers Club Inc., New Jersey Fencing Alliance) and Mitchell Saron (Bergen Fencing Club, New York Athletic Club, and Harvard University) also looked impressive with 4-2 pools records. Doddo had a bye in the preliminary round of 128 and won his preliminary round of 64 bout, 15-10. Saron, meanwhile, allowed single-digit touches to each of his direct-elimination opponents, winning 15-7 and 15-9.

The seven fencers who advanced from Saturday will be back in action Tuesday.

Up next: Sunday offers the tournament’s first look at foil when the women take center stage. After their pools end, it’s Men’s Epee time!

Women’s Epee

Kat Holmes OLY:

• Pools: 4-2 (+9 indicator)
• Preliminary Round of 128: Defeated Laura Katalin Wetzker (Germany), 15-10
• Preliminary Round of 64: Lost to Kaylin Sin Yan Hsieh (Hong Kong), 7-6

Isis Washington:

• Pools: 5-0 (+11 indicator)
• Based on pools result (10th best), advanced directly to Tuesday’s table of 64

Kasia Nixon:

• Pools: 6-0 (+20 indicator)
• Based on pools result (best), advanced directly to Tuesday’s table of 64

Anne Cebula:

• Pools: 4-1 (+8 indicator)
• Preliminary Round of 128: Defeated Daniela Jurado Salazar (Costa Rica), 15-9
• Preliminary Round of 64: Defeated Martyna Swatowska-Wenglarczyk (Poland), 15-8

Men’s Saber

Eli Dershwitz OLY:

• Exempt from pools and moves straight to Tuesday’s table of 64

Colin Heathcock:

• Pools: 6-0 (+20 indicator)
• Based on pools result (fourth best), advanced directly to Tuesday’s table of 64

Andrew Doddo:

• Pools: 4-2 (+12 indicator)
• Preliminary Round of 128: Bye
• Preliminary Round of 64: Defeated Muhammed Anasiz (Turkey), 15-10

Mitchell Saron:

• Pools: 4-2 (+7 indicator)
• Preliminary Round of 128: Defeated Jose Quintero (Venezuela), 15-7
• Preliminary Round of 64: Defeated Andres Hernandez Caballero (Spain), 15-9

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