USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – More than 1,600 fencers ages 20 and under will compete for junior national titles and berths on the 2015 Junior and Cadet World Championship Team at the USA Fencing Junior Olympic Championships in Richmond, Va. this weekend.

Competition will be held from Friday through Monday at the Richmond Convention Center. All events are free and open to the public.

Athletes will compete in each of three weapons (epee, foil and saber) with events held in the junior (U20), cadet (U17) and junior team categories.

The tournament will serve as the final qualifying event for the Junior and Cadet Worlds for women’s epee and men’s and women’s foil fencers. Men’s and women’s saber and men’s epee fencers also will earn valuable points toward World Team qualification, but those squads will be selected in March. The Junior and Cadet World Championships will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from April 1-9.

Among the athletes fencing this weekend are the following past Junior and Cadet World medalists:

• Axel Kiefer (Lexington, Ky. / foil), 2014 Junior World team silver medalist
• Amanda Sirico (Bowie, Md. / epee), 2014 Junior World team silver medalist
• Mason Speta (Chicago, Ill. / epee), 2014 Junior World team silver medalist
• George Haglund (Califon, N.J. / foil), 2014 Cadet World silver medalist
• Karol Metryka (Linden, N.J. / saber), 2014 Cadet World bronze medalist
• Kasia Nixon (Los Angeles, Calif. / epee), 2014 Cadet World bronze medalist
• Sara Taffel (New York City, N.Y. / foil), 2013 Junior World team silver medalist and 2012 Cadet World silver medalist
• Jessie Radanovich (Tollhouse, Calif. / epee), 2012 Cadet World bronze medalist

More than 50 athletes from throughout Virginia will be among those vying for gold in Richmond. One of the top athletes to watch will be foil fencer Stefani Deschner who will be competing just 15 minutes away from her hometown of Mechanicsville. The 15-year-old broke through during the 2013-14 season where she won gold at the Tauberbischofsheim Cadet European Cup and is now ranked No. 3 in the Cadet European standings after winning three medals on the international circuit this season, including gold at the Montecatini Cadet European Cup in Italy last month.

Click here to view a complete competitor list.

The competition schedule is as follows (Note: all times are estimated start times, events run through completion):

Friday, Feb. 13
8:30 a.m.
Junior Individual Men’s Epee

9:30 a.m.
Junior Team Men’s Saber

1:30 p.m.
Junior Individual Women’s Foil
Cadet Women’s Saber

Saturday, Feb. 14
8:30 a.m.
Junior Team Men’s Epee

1:30 p.m.
Cadet Women’s Epee
Junior Team Women’s Foil

2:30 p.m.
Junior Men’s Saber

Sunday, Feb. 15
8:30 a.m.
Cadet Men’s Epee
Junior Team Men’s Foil

11:30 a.m.
Junior Individual Women’s Saber

1:30 p.m.
Junior Team Women’s Epee
Cadet Women’s Foil

Monday, Feb. 16
8:30 a.m.
Junior Individual Men’s Foil
Junior Team Women’s Saber

1:30 p.m.
Junior Individual Women’s Epee
Cadet Men’s Saber