USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – London Olympian Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ended the best season of his career with a new spot in the history books as the first U.S. man ever to win an individual FIE Overall World Cup title.

A dominant force on the circuit during 2014-15, Imboden won gold medals at the Tokyo World Cup in November and the Paris World Cup in January as well as his third career individual Pan American Championships title in April.

Imboden also claimed bronzes at the first two Grand Prix tournaments of the season in Torino and Cuba as he climbed his way to earning the World No. 1 ranking. While Imboden broke through the international ranks early, placing in the top eight at the 2011 Senior World Championships at just 18, he said that training full time was a rough transition, but one that ultimately has been the key to his success.

“I think that it took me a while to deal with the pressure of being a full-time athlete. I went from being a fencer, but doing other things like going to school and having other plans to being just a fencer and that’s it,” said Imboden who chose to forego numerous collegiate fencing opportunities in favor of fencing professionally. “It means you put a lot more pressure on yourself to be the best because it’s what you do and I expect the work I put in to pay off and it has. It just took some time and I really got serious about my training and I think I’ve grown the most in my discipline.”

With seven straight top-eight finishes on the international circuit this season, Imboden established himself as one of the top contenders for a medal at the Rio Olympic Games where he is aiming for two medals – one in individual and another as a member of the U.S. Men’s Foil Team which won gold at the Paris World Cup for the first time in history and took titles at both the Pan American Championships and Pan American Games.

After more than a decade of competitive fencing, it’s Imboden’s passion for the sport that pushes him to continue to excel.

“I’ve always done fencing because I love it and it’s my life. Fencing is my life. I wake up and I fence and that’s just what I do and I don’t see that changing.I plan on fencing for a really long time and after my competitive career is done I’ll be involved because fencing is my life and it’s what I do. I live and breathe it,” said Imboden who will return to the international circuit when the new season begins in October.

Imboden will be honored as the recipient of the Overall Men’s Foil World Cup award during the Federation Internationale d’Escrime Congress in Guangzhou, China.

Saber fencer Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.) also will be honored during the FIE Congress as the winner of the Overall Junior Women’s Saber World Cup title in recognition of a season that included gold medal wins at five of the first six international tournaments of the season as well as earning bronze at the Junior World Championships in April.