USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Sixteen-year-old Joshua Cole (Chappaqua, N.Y.) placed seventh in his Junior World Cup debut in Espoo, Finland on Saturday.

Cole was seeded 13^th in the table of 128 and shut out his first opponent, Erik Kochbati (SWE), by a score of 15-0 and defeated Gregoire Reginster (BEL), 15-6, in the next round.

Cole edged three-time Junior World Team member Peeter Turnau (EST), 15-4, in the table of 32 and was one of three U.S. fencers to advance to the table of 16.

While Cole won his next bout against Gianluca Casaro (ITA), 15-9, his teammates, Joseph Guinan (River Forest, Ill.) and Lewis Weiss (Houston, Texas), were each eliminated and finished in 10^th and 11^th place, respectively.

In the quarter-finals, Cole lost to 2013 Junior World Team member Valter Mickwitz (FIN) who went on to win gold.

Following his seventh-place result, Cole remains the top-ranked cadet fencer in the country and shot up from No. 22 to No. 2 in the junior rankings where he sits behind 2013 Cadet World Team member Gabriel Canaux (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and ahead of 2013 Cadet World Champion Ariel Simmons (Bellaire, Texas) who is ranked third and Weiss, a 2013 Junior World Team member, who is now fourth.

Click here for complete results.

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

Espoo Epee Junior World Cup
1. Valter Mickwitz (FIN)
2. Alexandre Oberson (SUI)
3. Maciej Bielec (POL)
3. Gabriele Cimini (ITA)
5. Tomaso Melocchi (ITA)
6. Gianmarco Andreana (ITA)
7. Joshua Cole (Chappaqua, N.Y.)
8. Emil Garifullin (RUS)

10. Joseph Guinan (River Forest, Ill.)
11. Lewis Weiss (Houston, Texas)
20. Jake Raynis (Chatsworth, Calif.)
22. Ariel Simmons (Bellaire, Texas)
26. Nicholas Hannah (Indianapolis, Ind.)
27. James Salem (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
32. Samuel Koch (San Francisco, Calif.)
44. Alex House (Upton, Mass.)
50. Garrett McGrath (Flagstaff, Ariz.)
51. Samuel Freiman (Woodlands, Texas)
52. Charlie Horowitz (Los Angeles, Calif.)