USA Fencing

(Budapest, Hungary) – Team USA will secure at least one additional medal tonight as both the U.S. Men’s Foil Team and Women’s Saber Team will fence for a chance at a spot on the podium at the Senior World Championships.

The U.S. Men’s Foil Team is guaranteed a spot in history as the first men’s foil squad ever to win a team medal at the Senior Worlds after Team USA defeated France, 45-35, in the semifinals.

After trailing France for the first six bouts, two-time Olympian Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif.) went on an 11-2 run against Jeremy Cadot to give Team USA a 35-32 lead.

Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.) shut out Enzo LeFort, 5-0, in the eighth bout and Alexander Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.) defeated Erwan Le Pechoux, 5-2, in the final bout to give Team USA a 45-35 victory.

Team USA will fence Italy in the final after the reigning Olympic Champions defeated Russia, 45-44, in the other semifinal.

The win will be the second podium finish this week for Miles Chamley-Watson (Philadelphia, Pa.) who won gold in the individual competition – making him both the first U.S. man to win an individual Senior World title as well as the first U.S. man to hold both individual and team Senior World medals.

All four members of the team fenced in London where Team USA placed fourth. 

In earlier rounds, Team USA defeated Canada, 45-25, in the table of 16 and China, 45-25, in the quarter-finals.

The men’s foil gold medal final can be watched live on www.universalsports.com at 1 p.m. Eastern. The television broadcast will air at 9 p.m. Eastern.

The U.S. Women’s Saber Team will fence for a chance at their third straight trip to the podium.

Team USA won bronze in 2011 and 2012 and the Americans will fence Italy in the bronze medal final.

The team of Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.), 2012 Olympian Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.), Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.) and Eliza Stone (Chicago, Ill.) began the day seeded third and defeated Belarus, 45-20, in the table of 16.

Zagunis, a two-time Olympic Champion, anchored Team USA to a 45-33 win over Azerbaijan in the quarter-finals.

In the semifinals, however, Russia – the three-time reigning Senior World Team Champions – controlled the match to take a 45-33 win.

Zagunis, Wozniak and Muhammad were all on the squad that defeated Italy to win bronze at the 2012 World Team Championships.

Team USA will fence Italy for bronze after the Italians fell to Ukraine, 45-34.

The women’s saber bronze medal final can be watched live on www.universalsports.com at 11:15 a.m. Eastern. The television broadcast will air at 9 p.m. Eastern.