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Prescod Places 11th in Tauber, U.S. Women’s Foil Team Defeats France for Fifth

05/05/2015, 4:45pm CDT
By Nicole Jomantas

Team USA's Margaret Lu, Nicole Ross, Sabrina Massialas and Nzingha Prescod with three-time Olympian Ann Marsh-Senic who served as an assistant coach in Tauberbischofsheim. Photo Credit: Ann Marsh-Senic.

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – London Olympian Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.) claimed Team USA’s top individual finish in the first women’s foil World Cup of the Olympic qualifying period on Saturday as she advanced to the table of 16.

In her table of 64 bout, Prescod trailed five-time Senior World medalist Aida Mohamed (HUN), 6-3, after the first period, but went on to tie the bout at nine in the third and outscored Mohamed, 6-2, to take the victory, 15-11.

Midway through the first period of her table of 32 bout against Seung Min Lim, Prescod was tied with the Korean at four touches each and broke out with a 6-2 run to finish the period at 10-6. Prescod needed just over a minute in the second period to finish the bout with a 15-12 win.

In the table of 16, Prescod fenced 2013 Senior World bronze medalist Inna Deriglazova (RUS), but lost the bout, 15-9, and finished 11th. Deriglazova went on to take bronze – her fourth individual World Cup medal of the season.

Three of Prescod’s teammates advanced to the table of 32.

London Olympian Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.) came into the World Cup as the No. 3-ranked foil fencer in the world and was exempt from fencing in the pool and preliminary rounds. In the table of 64, Kiefer defeated Hanna Lyczbinska (POL), 15-7, less than a minute into the second period.

Kiefer trailed Pauline Ranvier (FRA) at 9-7 after the first period of the table of 32, but caught up to Ranvier to tie the bout at 12 touches in the second. Ranvier went on a three-touch run, however, to end the bout at 15-12 and went on to place seventh as the only athlete in the tournament to place in the top eight outside of the Italian and Russian teams.

Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Conn.), a two-time Senior World Team member, finished the pool rounds on Friday with a 5-1 record and advanced directly to the table of 64 where she earned a 23rd seed. Lu’s first direct elimination opponent, Eva Hampel (GER), kept the bout close, but Lu held a two-touch lead at the end of the second period. Hampel scored at the start of the third before Lu closed out the bout, 15-13.

In the table of 32, 2012 Olympic team silver medalist Larisa Korobeynikova (RUS) jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the first period. Lu reeled her opponent in during the second and came within a touch of tying the score at 14 before the Russian picked up the final touch for a 15-13 win.

London Olympian Nicole Ross (New York City) finished the pool rounds at 4-2 and blazed through her preliminary DE bouts on Friday with a 15-2 win against Leilani Hohenadel (GER) and a 15-3 victory over Coralie Brot (FRA).

Ross dominated the first period of her table of 64 bout against Mina Kim (KOR) to take a 5-1 lead. Ross retained her four-touch lead throughout the bout as she defeated Kim, 15-11. In the table of 32, 2009 Senior World Champion Aida Shanaeva (RUS) took an early lead at 5-1 in the first period and went on to win the bout, 15-8.

On Sunday, Lu, Prescod, Ross and 2014 Senior World Team member Sabrina Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.) fenced in the team event.

Team USA fenced Hong Kong in the opening match with Massialas, Ross and Prescod getting the match off to a good start with a 15-0 lead after the first three bouts. Although Hong Kong closed the gap late in the match, Prescod anchored the team to a 43-35 win.

In the quarter-finals, Team USA faced Korea – the 2012 Olympic bronze medalists. Ross, Lu and Prescod each posted wins during the first five bouts to give Team USA an 18-13 lead. Ross returned as anchor, but couldn’t regain the lead against 2009 Senior World Champion Hee Sook Jeon who closed out the match, 40-35, for Korea.

Fencing in the 5th – 8th place match, Lu turned in a standout performance as she outscored her opponents, 24-10, to help Team USA take a 40-29 lead going into the final bout. Prescod came back as anchor and held off Huilin Le for a 45-35 victory.

In the match for fifth place, Team USA took on France – bronze medalists at the 2014 Senior Worlds and silver medalists in 2013.

Prescod opened with a 5-1 win against two-time Senior World team medalist Astrid Guyart and Lu shut out Gaelle Gebet to hold on to a 10-1 lead. Although Massialas and Prescod gave up touches against 2013 Senior World team medalist Anita Blaze and Gebet in the next two bouts, Ross subbed in with an 8-2 win against Guyart to keep Team USA up, 23-18. Lu gave up just a touch to Blaze in the sixth bout as she defeated Blaze, 7-1, in the sixth and Ross defeated Gebet, 5-3, in the seventh. Prescod fenced an action packed bout against Blaze to give the Americans an 11-touch lead at 40-29 going into the final bout where Lu went up against Guyart and needed less than two minutes to finish the match, 45-35.

Following the win, Team USA moved past Korea and France to take the No. 3 position in the World Rankings after the final World Cup of the season.

Click here to view complete individual results.

Click here to view complete team results.

Tauberbischofsheim Women’s Foil World Cup
1. Elisa Di Francisca (ITA)
2. Arianna Errigo (ITA)
3. Valentina Vezzali (ITA)
3. Inna Deriglazova (RUS)
5. Larisa Korobeynikova (RUS)
6. Chiara Cini (ITA)
7. Pauline Ranvier (FRA)
8. Adelina Zagidullina (RUS)

11. Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
17. Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.)
24. Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Conn.)
32. Nicole Ross (New York City)
79. Sabrina Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.)
81. Morgan Partridge (Swansea, Mass.)

Tauberbischofsheim Women’s Foil Team World Cup
1. Russia
2. Italy
3. Korea
4. Germany
5. USA
6. France
7. Poland
8. China 

Tag(s): News  Nicole Ross  Lee Kiefer  Nzingha Prescod  Margaret Lu  Sabrina Massialas