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London Paralympians to Compete in Wheelchair World Championships Beginning on Monday

10/09/2011, 8:15am CDT
By USA Fencing

(Catania, Italy) – Four athletes who already have qualified to compete at the 2012 London Paralympic Games will get a preview of next year’s fencing action when they compete at the Wheelchair World Championships beginning on Monday.

Held in conjunction with the Senior World Championships for able-bodied athletes, the Wheelchair Worlds is a key qualifying event for athletes who did not already do so through the Zonal Championships.
 

Four of the eight members of the U.S. Team have already qualified for London after earning gold medals at the Wheelchair Pan American Championships in August.

Cat Bouwkamp (Fishers, Ind.), Ryan Estep (Florence, Miss.), Mario Rodriguez (Ventura, Calif.) and Gerard Moreno (Los Angeles, Calif.) each earned berths to London through their wins at the Pan Ams.

A three-time Paralympian, Rodriguez fenced at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games as a Category A fencer. Although his saber event was cancelled at the Pan Ams, Rodriguez qualified for both saber and foil through his foil win as all wheelchair athletes are required to fence two weapons at the Games.

Moreno also will be competing at his four Paralympic Games. The Category B fencer will be competing at the world level for the first time since placing 15th in foil at the Beijing Games. Like Rodriguez, Moreno is a foil and saber fencer who won his foil event at the Pan Ams in Sao Paulo after the saber was cancelled.

Fifteen-year-old Bouwkamp earned Team USA’s best finish at the Wheelchair Worlds in 2010 where she finished sixth in saber. As women’s saber is not on the program for the 2012 Paralympic Games, Bouwkamp has turned her focus to epee and foil. Although the transition from weapons is often difficult, Bouwkamp has adjusted quickly and advanced to the finals of the Pan Ams in both weapons, winning gold in epee and silver in foil.

Estep has been competing for just three years, but has earned top-10 finished on the World Cup circuit in Category B epee and foil this season. Estep, who competed at his first Wheelchair Worlds in 2010, won gold at the Pan Ams in foil and bronze in epee.

Each of the four remaining U.S. team members will be hoping to use this event to earn qualifying points for London.

A three-time Paralympian for her native Brazil, Andrea DeMello (New York City, N.Y.) represented Team USA for the first time at the Beijing Games. DeMello was scheduled to compete at the Pan Ams in August; however, all of the women’s events in Category B were cancelled which means DeMello will need to finish well at the World Championships in either foil or epee to earn the points needed to earn a ranking that would allow her to qualify for London.

After the saber events were cancelled at the Pan Ams, Joey Brinson (Brandon, Miss.) fenced foil instead and nearly qualified for the Paralympic Games, but lost in the Category A final to Moreno. Now competing at his second Wheelchair World Championships, Brinson will be fencing both saber and epee.

Dennis Aspy (Woodstock, Ga.) will be competing on his second World Team in both the Category A foil and saber. Corbin Beu (Phoenix, Ariz.) finished sixth at the Pan Ams in the Category A foil and the former elite sled hockey player will be competing at his first Wheelchair rlds in the foil and saber events.

Competition schedule is as follows:

Monday, Oct. 10
Individual Men’s Foil A
Dennis Aspy (Woodstock, Ga.)
Corbin Beu (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Mario Rodriguez (Ventura, Calif.)

Individual Men’s Foil B
Ryan Estep (Florence, Miss.)
Gerard Moreno (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Individual Men’s Foil C
N/A

Individual Women’s Foil A
Cat Bouwkamp (Fishers, Ind.)

Individual Women’s Foil B
Andrea DeMello (New York City, N.Y.)

Tuesday, Oct. 11
Individual Men’s Saber A
Mario Rodriguez (Ventura, Calif.)
Dennis Aspy (Woodstock, Ga.)

Individual Men’s Saber B
Gerard Moreno (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Individual Women’s Foil A
Catherine Bouwkamp (Fishers, Ind.)

Individual Women’s Foil B
Andrea DeMello (New York City, N.Y.)

Wednesday, Oct. 12
Individual Men’s Epee A
Joey Brinson (Brandon, Miss.)
Corbin Beau (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Individual Men’s Epee B
Ryan Estep (Florence, Miss.)

Individual Women’s Saber A
N/A

Thursday, Oct. 13
Team Men’s Saber
N/A

Team Women’s Foil
N/A

Friday, Oct. 14
Team Men’s Foil
N/A

Team Women’s Epee
N/A

Saturday, Oct. 15
Team Men’s Epee       
Joey Brinson (Brandon, Miss.)
Ryan Estep (Florence, Miss.)
Corbin Beu (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Team Women’s Saber
N/A



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