USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Barbara Vanbenthuysen (The Woodlands, Texas) placed sixth in her debut at the Cadet World Championships for athletes ages 17 and under in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Wednesday.

The first-time team member led Team USA’s epee fencers with the squad’s best result of the day.

Each of Team USA’s three women’s epee fencers dropped just one bout in the pool rounds as first-time Cadet World Team members Vanbenthuysen, Farrah Lee-Elabd (San Antonio, Texas) and Saanchi Kukadia (Manhasset, N.Y.) each earned byes into the table of 64.

Vanbenthuysen needed just under three minutes to win her direct elimination bout against Aurore Favre (SUI), 15-7.

With the scored tied at 11 late in the table of 32, Vanbenthuysen led Nikol Gavielko (ISR), 14-13, at the start of the first period and picked up a single early in the second for a 15-13 win.

The win set up a table of 16 bout between Vanbenthuysen and Lee-Elabd who won her first two DE bouts by 15-8 and 15-12 scores against Day De Wijn (NED) and Danielle Lawson (GBR), respectively.

Lee-Elabd built a 10-5 lead early in the bout, but Vanbenthuysen fought back to tie the score at 13 late in the first period. In the second, Van Benthuysen and Lee-Elabd each scored early singles and Vanbenthuysen took the final touch to win the bout, 15-14.

Fencing for a medal, Vanbenthuysen drew Eleonora De Marchi (ITA) in the quarter-finals where the Italian led the bout, 10-7, at the break. In the second period, De Marchi scored three doubles and a pair of singles for a 15-10 victory.

After a 15-6 win against Nisanur Ozalayci (TUR) in the 32, Kukadia missed the table of 16 by three touches as she lost to Vera Maia Devi Kanevski (ISR), 15-12.

In the men’s event, two-time Cadet World Team member Charlie Horowitz (Los Angeles, Calif.) ended his U17 career with a ninth place finish in Uzbekistan.

Horowitz dominated the pool rounds where he went 6-0 to take the top seed in the direct elimination rounds.

After a bye into the table of 64, Horowitz began his bout against Joshua Beyrle (GER) with a 10-4 lead after the first period. Horowitz ended his bout against Beyrle with a pair of singles and a 15-8 victory.

Horowitz held a lead from the start of the table of 32 where he was up, 8-6 after the first period. Roo Whelan (GBR) closed the gap to a touch at 11-10 in the second, but Horowitz answered with two singles to finish the period. In the third, Horowitz needed just 13 seconds to end the bout, 15-10.

In the table of 16, Horowitz began his bout with four straight touches and held a 5-3 lead against Yevgeniy Gorbachuk (UKR) after the first period. Although Horowitz began the third period with a 9-8 lead, the Ukrainian scored seven of the next nine touches to win the bout, 15-11.

Jack Bradford (Erie, Colo.) finished the pool rounds, 3-3, to advance to the table of 64 where he fenced a blazing first period to defeat Samuel Stolar (SLO), 15-10, in just over two and a half minutes.

Bradford kept up a brisk pace in the table of 64 as well where he outscored Samuel Stolar (SVK), 13-11, in the first period and finished the bout with a 15-12 victory.

Bradford took on Damian Michalak (POL) in the table of 32 where Michalak led Bradford, 9-7, at the break and went on to win the bout, 15-9.

Team USA’s youngest member, 13-year-old Jonathan Piskovatskov (Houston, Texas), went 4-2 in the pools to earn a bye into the table of 64 where he fell to Ondrej Strnad (CZE), 15-8.

Click here to view complete men’s epee results.

Click here to view complete women’s epee results.

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

Cadet Men’s Epee World Championships
1. Myeongki Kim (KOR)
2. Jakub Jurka (CZE)
3. Bence Bende (HUN)
3. Loic Beaulieau (CAN)
5. Valerio Cuomo (ITA)
6. Ruslan Eskov (EST)
7. Damian Michalak (POL)
8. Yevgeniy Gorbachuk (UKR)

9. Charles Horowitz (Los Angeles, Calif.)
29. Jack Bradford (Erie, Colo.)
40. Jonathan Piskovatskov (Houston, Texas)

Cadet Women’s Epee World Championships
1. Alexandra Predescu (ROU)
2. Kinga Nagy (HUN)
3. Eleonora De Marchi (ITA)
3. Alla Gryschyk (UKR)
5. Elvira Martensson (SWE)
6. Barbara Vanbenthuysen (The Woodlands, Texas)
7. Alexandra Bozza (ITA)
8. Kim Treudt-Gosser (GER)

10. Farrah Lee-Elabd (San Antonio, Texas)
21. Saanchi Kukadia (Manhasset, N.Y.)