USA Fencing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — It’s official! The Team USA Women’s Epee squad has officially punched its ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, joining Men’s Foil as the second fencing team from the United States to qualify for this summer’s quadrennial event. 

The path to Olympic qualification is rigorous, requiring teams to accumulate points through performances at various international competitions, including FIE (International Fencing Federation) World Cups, the 2023 Continental Championships (also known as Zonals) and the 2023 FIE Fencing World Championships. The Women’s Epee team's journey to securing their Olympic berth was highlighted by several standout performances, including a gold medal at the Americas Zonal Championships in June 2023 and consistent placements at World Cup events throughout the qualifying period.

With one FIE team competition remaining in the Olympic qualifying window, our Women’s Epee squad has a 72-point lead over its nearest zonal rival, Canada. Because the maximum points a team can earn is 64 for winning gold, that lead is insurmountable. 

Phil Andrews, USA Fencing CEO, congratulates the team on this important first step. 

“Qualifying for the Olympics is a clear reflection of our team's hard work, strategic planning and dedication to fencing,” Andrews says. “But the work has only begun. We’re not just going to Paris to compete — we’re going to make a mark and inspire future generations of fencers.”

There are two things we still don’t know: Who will represent Team USA in Women’s Epee and where the team will be seeded in Olympic team competition.

Team selection will be finalized no later than after the April North American Cup and Division I National Championships. Olympic seeding won’t be known until after the Senior Pan American Zonal Championships in June.

Athlete Selection

While we know that Women’s Epee will send a full squad, athlete selection has not been finalized. 

Team USA's full Women’s Epee squad for Paris will include three fencers who compete in both the individual and team events, plus a fourth "replacement athlete" who may be used in the team event.

The exact composition of the 3+1 athletes remains to be determined. Selection points are still up for grabs at the upcoming USA Fencing April NAC/Division I Championships in Salt Lake City, as well as FIE World Cup and Grand Prix tournaments. That will keep the anticipation high as we approach the Olympics.

• Senior Grand Prix — Individual event only, March 8–10 in Budapest, Hungary

  • Points earned will impact USA Fencing athlete selection and individual Olympic seeding

• Senior World Cup — Individual and Team events, March 22–24 in Nanjing, China

  • Points earned will impact team and individual Olympic seeding

–Olympic Qualification Window Ends–

• April North American Cup and Division I National Championships, the final domestic event of Olympic qualifying window — April 25–28 in Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Points earned will impact Team USA team selection

–Team USA Athlete Selection Period Ends–

• Senior Grand Prix — Individual event only, May 3–5 in Cali, Colombia

  • Points earned will impact individual Olympic seeding 

• Senior World Cup — Individual and Team events, May 17–19, Abu Dhabi, UAE

  • Points earned will impact team and individual Olympic seeding

• Senior Pan American Zonal Championships — Individual and Team events, June 22–27 in San Salvador, El Salvador

  • Points earned will impact team and individual Olympic seeding

• 2024 Olympic Games — Individual and Team events, July 27–Aug. 4 in Paris, France

Our Women’s Epee team qualified based on our locked-in status as the top team in our zone. The top four countries in each weapon are guaranteed a spot. After that, each zone (Asia-Oceania, Africa, Europe and the Americas) sends one nation in each weapon, as long as that team is ranked 5th through 16th overall.

Team USA holds an insurmountable lead in the Americas zone.

Here’s how Team USA got here:

• Gold at the Americas Zonal Championships in June 2023

• Silver at the Vancouver World Cup in December 2023

• 4th place at the Barcelona World Cup in February 2024

• 8th place at the Legnano World Cup in November 2023

• 10th place at the 2023 World Championships in Milan

• 11th place at the Fujairah World Cup in May 2023

With the Women’s Epee team's qualification, Team USA now has two teams confirmed for the Olympics, with prospects looking promising for additional qualifications in Women’s Foil, Women’s Saber and Men’s Saber. The strength and depth of talent across all weapons highlight the bright future of fencing in the United States as we approach the Paris Games.