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Axel Kiefer and Michael Woo Win Gold and Bronze in Udine
Gold medalist Axel Kiefer and bronze medalist Michael Woo on the podium in Italy. Photo Credit: Augusto Bizzi.
Axel Kiefer celebrates winning gold in Italy. Photo Credit: Augusto Bizzi.
(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Two-time Cadet World team member Axel Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.) and Harvard freshman Michael Woo (Wayne, N.J.) each reached the podium at the Udine Junior World Cup in Italy on Sunday with Kiefer winning gold and Woo taking bronze.
Kiefer, who is fencing in his first season on the junior international circuit, was seeded sixth out of the pools and advanced to the table of 64 where he defeated Fran Tvrtkovic (CRO), 15-6.
After a 15-14 win over Alessandro Bertolazzi (ITA), Kiefer defeated teammate John Vaiani (Belmar, N.J.), 15-10, in the table of 16.
A bronze medalist at this event in 2013, Woo was seated fifth out of the pools and defeated James Brosnan (GBR), 15-5, in the table of 64.
Woo’s next two wins came over Italians Andrea Enrico Sanfilippo, 15-13, and Damiano Rosatelli, 15-10.
Columbia sophomore Adam Mathieu (Union City, N.J.) also qualified for the quarter-finals after upsetting 2013 Junior World Team Champion Francesco Ingargiola (ITA), 15-10, in the table of 16.
Mathieu lost his next bout to two-time Junior World Team medalist Matyas Balint (HUN), 15-8, but his eighth place result was a new career best for Mathieu on the Junior World Cup circuit.
Kiefer won his quarter-final against Andrey Matveev (RUS), 15-12, and Woo defeated Alexander Pivovarov (RUS), 15-13.
In the semifinals, Kiefer won his bout over Balint, 15-10, but Woo lost to Daniel Dosa (HUN), 15-10, and finished with a bronze medal which allowed Woo to move up to No. 3 in the U.S. junior men’s foil team point standings behind 2012 Olympian Alexander Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.) and 2013 Junior World Team silver medalist Nobuo Bravo (San Francisco, Calif.)
Kiefer closed out his final bout against Dosa, 15-13, to win his first Junior World Cup title. Kiefer, who is attempting to qualify for his first Junior World Team, is now ranked fifth in the U.S. junior men’s foil team point standings where he trails Massialas, Bravo, Woo and 2012 Junior World Team Champion and Harvard sophomore Jerry Chang (Mountain View, Calif.)
In the men’s saber competition, 2012 Cadet World medalist Andrew Mackiewicz (Westwood, Mass.) and Gabriel Armijo (San Diego, Calif.) both advanced to the table of 16.
Seeded 13th out of the pools, Mackiewicz defeated Eddie Chin (Livingston, N.J.), 15-13, in the table of 64 and Lorenzo Manfredini (ITA), 15-11, in the 32. Mackiewicz placed 10th after a 15-8 loss to Oleksiy Statsenko (UKR) – the No. 3 ranked junior in the world whom Mackiewicz had split his previous two bouts with in Dormagen and Sosnowiec earlier in the season.
Armjio advanced to the table of 64 where he defeated Brynmor Saunders (GBR), 15-7, and went on to win his next bout against Riccardo Arena (ITA), 15-13. Armijo lost to Francesco D’Armiento (ITA), the top-ranked junior in the world, by a score of 15-6. Armijo finished 13th – his best result ever at a Junior World Cup.
Click here to view complete men’s foil results.
Click here to view complete men’s saber results.
Top eight and U.S. results are as follows:
Udine Men’s Foil Junior World Cup
1. Axel Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.)
2. Daniel Dosa (HUN)
3. Matyas Balint (HUN)
3. Michael Woo (Wayne, N.J.)
5. Kristjan Archer (GER)
6. Alexander Pivovarov (RUS)
7. Andrey Matveev (RUS)
8. Adam Mathieu (Union City, N.J.)
9. Nobuo Bravo (San Francisco, Calif.)
12. John Vaiani (Belmar, N.J.)
13. Stephen Mageras (Darien, Conn.)
17. Raymond Chen (Dallas, Texas)
20. George Haglund (Califon, N.J.)
28. Jerry Chang (Mountain View, Calif.)
30. Nolen Scruggs (Ozone Park, N.Y.)
43. Harrison McGuire (Cos Cob, Conn.)
60. Aaron Ahn (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Udine Men’s Saber Junior World Cup
1. Luca Curatoli (ITA)
2. Oleksiy Statsenko (UKR)
3. Alexander Trushakov (RUS)
3. Leonardo Affede (ITA)
5. Mate Bancsics (HUN)
6. Francesco D’Armiento (ITA)
7. Tom Seitz (FRA)
8. Francesco Bonsanto (ITA)
10. Andrew Mackiewicz (Westwood, Mass.)
13. Gabriel Armijo (San Diego, Calif.)
18. Calvin Liang (Chandler, Ariz.)
24. Ben Natanzon (Manalapan, N.J.)
27. Geoffrey Loss (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
44. Michael Costin (Culver City, Calif.)
46. Kaito Streets (Redwood City, Calif.)
54. Edward Chin (Livingston, N.J.)
60. John Hallsten (Sacramento, Calif.)
71. Jonah Shainberg (Rye, N.Y.)
80. Alex Palabrica (Los Angeles, Calif.)
98. Christofer Ahn (Houston, Texas)
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