USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Team USA began the Junior World Cup season with a 1-2 women’s saber finish in Sosnowiec, Poland on Saturday.

A gold medalist in the team event at the Junior World Championships in April, 17-year-old Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.) is the fifth-ranked senior women’s saber fencer in the nation, but had never stood on the individual podium at a junior international event.

Meanwhile, Princeton sophomore Gracie Stone (Chicago, Ill.) arrived in Poland with only three previous Junior World Cup appearances on her resume. Although Stone only fenced twice on the junior circuit last season, she won gold in Udine, Italy in January and is hoping to make the 2014 Junior World team in her final year of eligibility.

Stone and Palmedo entered the table of 64 as the 29^th and 54^th seeds, respectively, but the post-pool rankings didn’t matter as the two began quickly picking off their opponents.

In the table of 64, Palmedo defeated 10^th seeded Evgenia Karbolina (RUS), 15-6, and Stone won her bout against Sofia Ciaraglia (ITA), 15-4.

Palmedo’s next two wins would come down to the wire as she qualified for the quarter-finals with 15-13 victories over Margaux Rifkiss (FRA) and Anna Bashta (RUS).

Stone won her table of 32 and 16 bouts each by 15-11 scores against Lisa Freudenberger (GER) and 2012 Junior World team medalist Tatiana Sukhova (RUS).

Fencing at her second Junior World Cup, 15-year-old Sarah Merza (Wayne, N.J.) advanced to the quarter-finals against Stone who won the bout, 15-5.

Merza finished seventh and will move up to the top position in the U.S. cadet women’s saber rankings.

Palmedo faced 2013 Junior World medalist Martina Criscio (ITA) in her quarter-final and took a one-touch victory, 15-14.

Stone won her semifinal bout against 2013 Pan Am Junior Champion Paola Pliego (MEX), 15-13, and Palmedo edged Flaminia Prearo (ITA), 15-14, to set up the all-American final.

The two U.S. teammates were tied at the end of the final bout, 14-14, but it was Palmedo who scored the last touch to win gold with her third straight 15-14 victory.

Competition continues on Sunday with the men’s events.

Click here to view complete results.

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

Sosnowiec Women’s Saber Junior World Cup
1. Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.)
2. Gracie Stone (Chicago, Ill.)
3. Paola Pliego (MEX)
3. Flaminia Prearo (ITA)
5. Martina Criscio (ITA)
6. Camilla Fondi (ITA)
7. Sarah Merza (Wayne, N.J.)
8. Manon Brunet (FRA)

20. Kimberly Young (Gilbert, Ariz.)
22. Lena Johnson (Peachtree City, Ga.)
51. Claudia Kulmacz (Upper Saddle River, N.J.)
57. Francesca Russo (Wayne, N.J.)
61. Emma Keehan (Chandler, Ariz.)
80. Sophie Keehan (Chandler, Ariz.)
86. Tara Hassett (Beaverton, Ore.)
94. Anastasia Ivanoff (Los Angeles, Calif.)
104. Allison Lee (Saddle River, N.J.)