(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Members of Team USA earned three medals in the men’s epee event at the Chalons Cadet European Cup in France over the weekend.
U.S. athletes earned gold and bronze medals in the individual event and gold in the team competition for athletes ages 17 and younger in one of the U.S. Men’s Epee Team’s best performances at the cadet level.
After a bye out of the table of 128, 2011 Cadet World Team member Alexander Eldeib (Burke, Va.) defeated Jules Paris (FRA), 15-9, and Tom Bontes (NED), 15-13, in his next two bouts.
In the table of 16, Eldeib defeated U.S. teammate Spencer Amann (Westminster, Colo.), 15-9, and qualified for the quarter-finals after a 15-8 win over Nelson Lopez-Pourtier (FRA).
Anton Piskovatskov (Houston, Texas) also qualified for the quarter-finals after going undefeated in the tables.
Two other U.S. team members advanced to the quarter-finals following wins in the repechage table.
Nicholas Hanahan (Indianapolis, Ind.) lost his table of 32 bout, 15-13, to Martin Rubes (CZE), but won three straight bouts in the repechage to qualify for the quarters. Hanahan defeated Hendrick Lerus-Roulez (FRA), 15-10; Pierre Simoni (FRA), 15-6; and Lucas Malcotti (ITA), 15-11, to return to medal contention.
Matthew McGrath (Maricopa, Ariz.) lost to Joffrey Berry (FRA), 15-11, in the table of eight, but defeated Yulen Pereira (ESP), 15-14, to advance to the quarters.
Three of the four Americans found themselves in the same half of the bracket and Eldeib defeated McGrath, 15-12, in the quarters while Hanahan defeated Mathieu Garrucho (FRA), 15-8.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Piskovatskov lost to Alvaro Ibanez (ESP), 15-8, to finish seventh.
Hanahan earned the bronze after a 15-12 loss to Eldeib.
Fencing for gold for the first time at an international event, Eldeib won his final bout against Berry, 15-9.
On Sunday, a team competition was held eight athletes represented the United States on Team USA 1 and Team USA 2.
Eldeib, Amann, McGrath and Hanahan comprised USA 1 while Juan Barzallo (Peoria, Ill.), Tycho Toothaker (Portland, Ore.), Samuel Freiman (Spring, Texas) and Adam Frank (Portland, Ore.) fenced on USA 2.
After a bye into the quarter-finals, both U.S. teams earned wins that would set up an all-American semifinal as USA 1 defeated Finland, 45-34, and USA 2 won its bout against Switzerland, 45-38.
In the semis, USA 1 took the win, 45-31, over USA 2.
USA 2 fenced for bronze, but lost a close bout, 45-39, against the French team.
The USA 1 team used the individual success of its athletes as a springboard to win the second gold medal of the weekend for Team USA as the squad outtouched Spain, 43-42.
Top eight and U.S. results are as follows:
Chalons Cadet Epee European Cup Team
1. USA 1
2. Spain
3. France
4. USA 2
5. Switzerland
6. Belgium
7. Finland
8. Germany
Chalons Cadet Epee European Cup Individual
1. Alexander Eldeib (Burke, Va.)
2. Joffrey Berry (FRA)
3. Nicholas Hanahan (Indianapolis, Ind.)
3. Alvaro Ibanez (ESP)
5. Matthew McGrath (Maricopa, Ariz.)
6. Mathieu Garrucho (FRA)
7. Anton Piskovatskov (Houston, Texas)
8. Loic Varela (FRA)
10. Justin Yoo (La Verne, Calif.)
13. Spencer Amman (Westminster, Colo.)
18. Jake Raynis (Chatsworth, Calif.)
23. Adam Frank (Portland, Ore.)
25. Conor Shepard (Colleyville, Texas)
26. Tycho Toothaker (Portland, Ore.)
33. Samuel Freiman (Spring, Texas)
38. John Cramerus (Sugar Land, Texas)
39. Harrison Macrae (Chicago, Ill.)
46. Juan Barzallo (Peoria, Ill.)
52. Inaki De Guzman (Fairfax, Va.)
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