USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Team USA overcame injuries and inexperience to earn a 13^th place finish at the Tallinn Epee World Cup in Estonia on Sunday.

Although Team USA is ranked #1 in the world, three members of the team that won gold at the 2012 World Championships are no longer competing and two-time Olympian Soren Thompson (New York City, N.Y.) took this week’s World Cup off in preparation for next weekend’s competition at the Vancouver Grand Prix presented by Absolute Fencing Gear.

Former Junior World Team members Jonathan Yergler (Princeton, N.J.), Adam Watson (Richford, Vt.) and Teddy Sherrill (New York City, N.Y.) opened the competition with a table of 16 match against an Estonian team lead by 2010 Senior World Champion Nikolai Novosjolov (EST).

Although Watson gave Team USA a lead during his bout against Novosjolov, 25-24, the St. John’s senior injured his ankle and was replaced in the competition by Jason Pryor (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Yergler, a Princeton senior, anchored Team USA against Estonia, and tied the match at 44, but Novosjolov scored the final touch to win the match, 45-44.

With Watson injured, Team USA fenced the remaining three matches with just three athletes.

The Americans lost to Korea, 45-41, in the 9^th – 16^th place table, but rallied to win their next match against Poland, 45-35. In the final bout, Team USA faced a Norwegian squad led by 2012 Olympic silver medalist Bartosz Piasecki (NOR) and held on for a 45-42 victory to finish in 13^th place.

Click here to view complete results.

Top eight and U.S. results are as follows:

Tallinn Team Epee World Cup
1. France
2. Switzerland
3. Hungary
4. Estonia
5. Italy
6. China
7. Russia
8. Venezuela

13. USA