USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – London Olympian Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.) left Athens, Greece with slightly heavier luggage as she added two bronze medals to her carry-on after the World Cup this weekend.

On Saturday, the No. 5-ranked women’s saber fencer in the world claimed her second individual World Cup bronze medal of the season at the Athens Saber World Cup.

Exempt from the pools and preliminary rounds on Friday, Wozniak defeated Stefanie Kubissa (GER), 15-6, in the table of 64 and Lucia Martin-Portugues (ESP), 15-10, in the 32 on Saturday.

Wozniak won her next bout, 15-12, against Yaqi Shao (CHN) and secured a medal when she edged World No. 6 Vassiliki Vougiouka (GRE), 15-14, in the quarters.

In the semifinals, Wozniak took an 8-3 lead against two-time reigning Senior World Champion Olga Kharlan (UKR) after the first period, but Kharlan came back with a six-touch run to close out the match, 15-13.

Wozniak’s London teammate, Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.), came into the tournament as the second seed and won her table of 64 bout against Nora Garam (HUN), 15-12. In the table of 32, Zagunis fenced her Oregon Fencing Alliance teammate, three-time Junior World medalist Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.), who was coming off a 15-9 win against five-time Senior World medalist Ilaria Bianco (ITA). 

Zagunis won their bout, 15-9, but lost in the table of 16 to 2013 Senior World bronze medalist Irene Vecchi (ITA), 15-14.

Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.) defeated Shia Rodriguez (VEN), 15-14, to qualify for the table of 32. Muhammad narrowly missed her second top-16 result of the season after a 15-13 loss to Jiyeon Seo (KOR), but her 17th place result allowed Muhammad to move up to No. 3 in the National Team Point Standings.

Five U.S. fencers qualified for the table of 64.

A gold medalist at the 2014 Senior World Team Championships with Wozniak, Zagunis and Muhammad, Eliza Stone (Chicago, Ill.) lost to Shao, 15-14, and finished in 34th place which allowed Stone to move into a top-four National Team Ranking behind Zagunis, Wozniak and Muhammad with just two international tournaments remaining before the 2015 Pan American Zonal Championship Team is named.

Two-time Senior World medalist Daria Schneider (New York City, N.Y.) dropped her bout against 2014 Senior World team silver medalist Saoussen Boudiaf (FRA), 15-14, and placed 37th.

Kamali Thompson (Teaneck, N.J.), a 2013 World University Games Team member, finished in 43rd place after a 15-13 loss to Jisu Yoon (KOR).

The reigning Division I National Champion, Celina Merza (Wayne, N.J.), lost to 2014 Junior World Champion Anna Marton (HUN) and ended the day in 47th place.

A 2009 Senior World Team member, Monica Aksamit (Matawan, N.J.) lost to 2003 Senior World medalist Aleksandra Socha (POL), 15-9, and finished in 55th place. 

On Sunday, Zagunis, Wozniak, Stone and Aksamit fenced in the team event.

As the No. 1 team in the world, Team USA earned a bye into the 16 where the Americans defeated Azerbaijan, 45-27. Team USA defeated Korea, 45-39, in the quarters, but fell a touch short of the final match after a 45-44 loss to Kharlan’s Ukraine squad in a rematch of their 2014 Senior World semifinal.

In the bronze medal match, Team USA defeated Hungary, 45-40, to win its third medal of the season after winning silver in Orleans, France and gold in Isla de Margarita, Venezuela in November.

Click here to view complete individual results.

Click here to view complete team results.

Top eight and U.S. results are as follows, including athletes who placed outside the top 64 on Saturday:

Athens Individual Saber World Cup
1. Olga Kharlan (UKR)
2. Sofya Velikaya (RUS)
3. Rossella Gregorio (ITA)
3. Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.)
5. Ekaterina Dyachenko (RUS)
6. Vassiliki Vougiouka (GRE)
7. Irene Vecchi (ITA)
8. Anna Marton (HUN)

9. Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.)
17. Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.)
25. Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.)
34. Eliza Stone (Chicago, Ill.)
37. Daria Schneider (New York City, N.Y.)
43. Kamali Thompson (Teaneck, N.J.)
47. Celina Merza (Wayne, N.J.)
55. Monica Aksamit (Matawan, N.J.)
78. Faizah Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.)
85. Loweye Diedro (New York, N.Y.)
89. Violet Michel (Cambridge, Mass.)

Athens Team Saber World Cup
1. Ukraine
2. Russia
3. USA
4. Hungary
5. Korea
6. China
7. Italy
8. France