USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Eliza Stone (Chicago, Ill.) has stood on the podium at the Senior World Championships and on the World Cup circuit as a member of Team USA, but the reigning National Champion now has an individual medal of her own.

Stone earned Team USA’s best individual finish at the Dakar Saber World Cup in Senegal on Saturday with a bronze medal win.

The 12^th seed in the table of 64, Stone opened the tournament with a 15-6 win against Irene Di Transo (ITA) and outtouched Sabina Mikina (AZE), 15-14, in the next bout.

In the table of 16, Stone defeated the seventh-ranked fencer in the world, Rajin Lee (KOR), 15-13.

Stone kept the pressure on 2013 Senior World medalist Irene Vecchi (ITA) with quick attacks to win her quarter-final bout, 15-9.

Stone fell two touches short of fencing for gold after a 15-13 loss to Charlotte Lembach (FRA). Her bronze medal win allowed Stone to move up to No. 3 in the U.S. women’s saber rankings and a career high of No. 10 in the world.

London Olympian Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.) and 2009 Senior World Team member Monica Aksamit (Matawan, N.J.) both placed in the top 16 with Wozniak finishing 11^th and Aksamit placing 13^th.

The ninth seed in the table of 64, Wozniak defeated 2012 Junior World medalist Saoussen Boudiaf (FRA), 15-13, and edged Sandra Marcos (ESP), 15-14, in the table of 32.

In the table of 16, Wozniak was outscored by 2003 Senior World medalist Aleksandra Socha (POL), 15-14.

Aksamit finished the pool rounds in fifth place on Friday to earn the 21^st seed in the table of 64 where she defeated Maria Belen Perez Maurice (ARG), 15-14.

She won her next bout against Marion Stoltz (FRA), 15-9, but lost in the 16 to Vassiliki Vougiouka (GRE), 15-9.

Two-time Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.) finished outside the top 16 for the first time in nearly three years with a 17^th place result.

After a 15-7 win against Wai Sum Au Yeung (KOR) in the table of 64, Zagunis was upset by 2009 Junior World medalist Araceli Navarro (ESP), 15-14, in the 32.

Six additional U.S. fencers also fenced on Saturday.

Three-time Senior World medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.) was exempt from the pools as the eighth seed in the tournament, but lost to Shan Liu (CHN), 15-6, in the table of 64 and finished in 33^rd place.

Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.), a 2013 Junior World Team Champion, finished 39^th after a 15-10 loss to Mikina.

A 2013 Junior Pan Am Team member, Sophie Keehan (Chandler, Ariz.) earned her first top-64 finish at a Senior World Cup. Keehan lost to Navarro, 15-12, and placed 44^th overall.

Two-time Senior World team medalist Daria Schneider (New York City, N.Y.) lost by a touch to Lembach, 15-14, in the table of 64 and finished in 53^rd place.

Fencing in her second season on the full World Cup circuit, Kamali Thompson (Teaneck, N.J.) finished behind Schneider in 54^th after a 15-10 loss to 2005 Senior World medalist Ilaria Bianco (ITA) who went on to win bronze in Senegal. 

Francesca Russo (Wayne, N.J.), who won gold at the 2013 Junior Worlds with Palmedo, drew reigning Senior World Champion Olga Kharlan (UKR) in the table of 64 and placed 64^th after a 15-8 loss. 

Click here to view complete results.

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

Dakar Women’s Individual Saber World Cup
1. Olga Kharlan (UKR)
2. Charlotte LEmbach (FRA)
3. Ilaria Bianco (ITA)
3. Eliza Stone (Chicago, Ill.)
5. Irene Vecchi (ITA)
6. Vassiliki Vougiouka (GRE)
7. Aleksandra Socha (POL)
8. Azza Besbes (TUN)

11. Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.)
13. Monica Aksamit (Matawan, N.J.)
17. Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.)
33. Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.)
39. Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.)
44. Sophie Keehan (Chandler, Ariz.)
53. Daria Schneider (New York City, N.Y.)
54. Kamali Thompson (Teaneck, N.J.)
64. Francesca Russo (Wayne, N.J.)
84. Emma Keehan (Chandler, Ariz.)
89. Lena Johnson (Peachtree City, Ga.)