USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Team USA fencers Cassandra Bates (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.) each brought home medals over the weekend at the Pan American Sports Festival in Mexico City.

Bates made her first international medal a gold one when she earned the women’s epee title on Saturday.

Bates, a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, won her table of 16 bout against two-time Junior World Team member Maria Josefina Duenas Nicolau (ARG), 15-10, and defeated 2010 Pan American Champion Yamilka Rodriguez Quesada (CUB), 15-13, in the quarter-finals.

After a 15-13 win over 2014 Pan American Junior silver medalist Patricia Piovesan (VEN), Bates defeated 2011 Pan American Junior Champion Alejandra Teran (MEX), 15-11, to win gold.

Three-time Junior World medalist Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.) opened the saber competition on Friday with a 15-6 win against Marcia Zambrano (ECU) and defeated Erin McLoughlin Sequeira (CRC), 15-2, in the quarters.

Palmedo missed fencing her Oregon Fencing Alliance teammate, Paola Pliego (MEX), in the gold medal final by just a touch after a 15-14 loss to Rossy Felix Lara (DOM). Palmedo took bronze alongside 2009 Pan Am medalist Elieen Grench (PAN).

Four of Bates and Palmedo’s teammates also fenced in Mexico City, but were each eliminated in the early rounds.

Women’s foil fencer Anastasiya Muravyeva (Fair Lawn, N.J.), men’s saber fencer Chris Cheney (Franklin, Tenn.) and men’s foil fencer William Gaziano (Basking Ridge, N.J.) each advanced out of the pools, but lost in the first direct elimination round.

Fencing as the youngest athlete in the tournament, 15-year-old Bryce Bogert (St. Augustine, Fla.) was eliminated after the pool rounds.