USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – London Olympian Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.) earned her second top-eight World result of the international season at the Torino Foil World Cup in Italy on Saturday.

Seeded sixth in the tournament, the Columbia junior’s first opponent was a rematch of her table of 64 bout last week in Tauberbischofsheim against Mina Kim (KOR). Prescod defeated Kim again – this time by a score of 11-10.

Prescod won her table of 32 bout, 15-9, against Shiho Nishioka (JPN) and picked up an 11-10 overtime win against two-time Senior World medalist Astrid Guyart (FRA) in the table of 16.

In the quarter-finals, Prescod trailed 2012 Olympic Champion Elisa Di Francisca (ITA), 9-4, but fought back to cut the Italian’s lead to 9-7. Di Francisca went on a 6-1 run, however, and finished the bout, 15-8.

Prescod’s fifth place finish moves her up to a No. 5 world ranking – the highest position in the international standings of a U.S. women’s foil fencer. 

Seeded 47^th after the pool rounds on Friday, Prescod’s 2012 Olympic teammate, Nicole Ross (New York City, N.Y.) defeated 2013 Senior World team medalist Anita Blaze (FRA), 11-9, in the table of 64 and won her next bout against Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Conn.), a four-time Junior World medalist and Columbia sophomore, by a score of 15-11.

In the table of 16, Ross built a 11-8 lead against 2013 Senior World Champion Arianna Errigo (ITA). The Italian regrouped, however, and scored six straight on Ross to take a 14-11 lead. Ross scored twice more before Errigo finished the bout, 15-13.

On Sunday, Prescod, Lu, Ross and 2013 Cadet World medalist Sabrina Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.) fenced in the team competition.

After an opening loss, 23-22, to Japan in the table of 16, the Americans came back with three straight wins to finish ninth, defeating Mexico, 45-20; Canada, 37-30; and China, 44-35.

Click here to view complete results.  

Torino Individual Foil World Cup
1. Inna Deriglazova (RUS)
2. Elisa Di Francisca (ITA)
3. Arianna Errigo (ITA)
3. Anastasia Ivanova (RUS)
5. Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
6. Yongshi Liu (CHN)
7. Valentina Vezzali (ITA)
8. Chiara Cini (ITA)

15. Nicole Ross (New York City, N.Y.)
31. Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Conn.)
69. Sabrina Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.)
102. Jessie Laffey (Glen Ridge, N.J.)
125. Kate Northrop (Bridgewater, N.J.)

Torino Team Foil World Cup
1. Italy
2. Russia
3. Korea
4. Germany
5. Hungary
6. France
7. Poland
8. Japan

9. USA