USA Fencing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2010
 
New York City hosts Fencing World Cup June 18-20
World No. 1 Zagunis highlights 367 Top Fencers heading to Brooklyn
 
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Fencers Club of New York, along with the US Fencing Association (USFA), are set to host the FIE World Cup in New York City beginning this Friday, June 18. The three-day international fencing competition boasts 367 of the top fencers representing over 20 countries across three disciplines: men’s sabre, women’s sabre and women’s foil.

Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.), world No. 1 in women’s sabre and two-time Olympic gold medalist, tops the list of high-ranking fencers. Other headliners include four-time Olympian Luigi Tarantino of Italy and two-time Olympic medalist Sylwia Gruchala of Poland.

“The World Cup is a wonderful event with the best fencers in the world gathering together in one of the best cities in the world,” USFA Executive Director Kurt Aichele said. “Obviously, I’m excited to watch Mariel Zagunis and Tim Morehouse, but this is a chance for young American fencers to perform on the biggest stage.”

Men’s and women’s sabre kick off the action at The Marriott New York at the Brooklyn Bridge. Zagunis will look to defend her spot atop the FIE rankings against the next eight highest-ranked women’s sabre fencers in the world, including two-time Olympians Aleksandra Socha (No. 5) of Poland and Leonore Perrus (No. 6) of France. Dagmara Wozniak (Aveneil, N.J.) and Daria Schneider (New York, N.Y.) round out the trio of top-20 ranked Americans in women’s sabre at Nos. 14 and 19, respectively.

“The level of competition is very high and I can’t wait to give it my best shot,” Zagunis said. “It’s always a joy to compete in my home country and I know New York City, with its proud fencing tradition, will put on a good show.”

The men’s sabre field features six Olympians and six Olympic medals between the top eight fencers alone. Leading the way are Tarantino, three-time Olympic medalist Aldo Montano of Italy and world No. 1 Nicolas Limbach of Germany. Local fencer Timothy Morehouse (Bronx, N.Y.) hopes to break into the top ten of the men’s sabre rankings from his current rank of 14th. The 2008 Olympic silver medalist in Team Sabre is joined by No. 28 James Williams (Sacremento, Calif.), a teammate on that medal-winning Beijing team.

“American fencing is in a great place right now and I think the existing and emerging talent will be on display in Brooklyn,” Morehouse said. “I hope I can contribute to that with a good result this weekend. With so many tough competitors, it should provide a great tune-up for the World Championships in a few months.”
Women’s foil begins Saturday and showcases some of the best young American fencers. Seventeen-year-old hometown prodigy and world No. 20 Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.) could potentially face a three-time Olympian in Gruchala, ranked 8th. The future is bright for 18-year-old Ambika Singh (Skillman, N.J.) and 21-year-old Nicole Ross (New York, N.Y.), both ranked in the top-40.

The World Cup marks the first international competition in New York City since 2004. The fencers will look to reach their peak in Brooklyn as it is one of the last international events before the World Championships in Paris, Nov. 4-13. Beijing silver medalists and siblings, Keeth and Erinn Smart will offer on-site analysis.

Many of the competitors will be available to the media for interviews and photographs. Admission is free Friday and $10 for two-day passes covering Saturday and Sunday.

For complete results of the 2010 World Cup circuit, visit http://www.fie.ch/

Below is a list of high-ranking fencers expected to compete. Attached is a three-day schedule and PDF version of the release.
Women’s Sabre – June 18-19
1. Mariel Zagunis, USA
2. Olga Kharlan, Ukraine
3. Ekaterina Diatchenko, Russia
4. Sophia Velikaia, Russia
5. Aleksandra Socha, Poland
6. Leonore Perrus, France
7. Ilaria Bianco, Italy
8. Irene Vecchi, Italy
9. Stefanie Kubissa, Germany
14. Dagmara Wozniak, USA
19. Daria Schneider, USA
 
Men’s Sabre – June 18-19
1. Nicolas Limbach, Germany
2. Eun Seok Oh, Korea
4. Tamas Decsi, Hungary
5. Luigi Tarantino, Italy
6. Veniamin Reshetnikov, Russia
7. Aron Szilagyi, Hungary
8. Jaime Marti, Spain
9. Aldo Montano, Italy
14. Timothy Morehouse, USA
27. Benjamin Igoe, USA
28. James Williams, USA
 
Women’s Foil – June 19-20
4. Hyun Hee Nam, Korea
5. Aida Shanaeva, Russia
6. Hee Sook Jeon, Korea
7. Katja Waechter, Germany
8. Sylwia Gruchala, Poland
9. Corrine Maitrejean, France
10. Larisa Korobeinikova, Russia
20. Nzingha Prescod, USA
24. Ambika Singh, USA
37. Nicole Ross, USA
 
About U.S. Fencing Association: The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the recognized NGB for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded in 1891 as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of New York fencers seeking independence from the Amateur Athletic Union. The AFLA changed its name to the United States Fencing Association in 1981. The USFA is affiliated with the Féderation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the international federation for fencing founded in Paris in 1913. The USFA was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in Pennsylvania in 1964 and in Colorado in 1993 in compliance with the Amateur Sports Act and opened its national office at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. in August of 1982. For more visit www.usfencing.org, www.facebook.com/usfencing or www.twitter.com/usfencing.

About the Fencers Club of New York: The Fencers Club of New York is a nonprofit organization founded in 1883, making it the oldest fencing institution in the country. The club has a long history of developing talented international-level athletes while also providing a number of fencing- and academic- related community service programs throughout the city. The Fencers Club has sent its athletes to some of the best colleges and universities in the country, and fencing has a particularly distinguished and successful record in the New York community. The six Beijing medalists from New York were all fencers.
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Nicholas Olivier
Manager, National Governing Body Media Services
United States Olympic Committee
Nicholas.Olivier@gmail.com
(210)386-9013