USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Team USA won three out of four medals on Sunday at the Tauberbischofsheim Women’s Foil Cadet European Cup in Germany with an American taking gold for the third straight year at the tournament as 2015 Cadet World medalist Sylvie Binder (Armonk, N.Y.) successfully defended her 2014 title.

Binder was joined on the podium by two-time Cadet World Team member Stefani Deschner (Mechanicsville, Va.) who won gold at this event in 2013 and Natalie Minarik (Glen Oak, N.Y.) who made her Cadet European Cup debut earlier this year.

Competition began on Saturday where Binder and Deschner each went undefeated over two rounds of pools as both athletes posted 11-0 records. Minarik won nine of her 11 bouts to take the 16th seed in the table of 128.

All three athletes won their first two direct elimination bouts to move on to the second day of competition as part of a 13-member Team USA contingent who all qualified for the table of 32 on Sunday.

Binder won her table of 32 bout against Rebeca Candrescu (ROU), 15-9, and Deschner defeated teammate Alyssa Chen (San Diego, Calif.), 15-10.

Minarik lost her bout to Arica Saveanu (ROU), 14-13, but remained in contention for a medal if she could pull through four repechage rounds.

In the main tableau, Binder defeated Ekaterina Lapchenko (RUS), 15-2, and Yara Elsharkawy (EGY), 15-5, to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Deschner would fence two more U.S. teammates to earn a position in the top eight and did so with a 15-5 win over Emme Zhou (Lexington, Mass.) and a 15-3 victory against May Tieu (Belle Mead, N.J.)

In the repechage rounds, Minarik won her first two bouts against Russian opponents, defeating Adelina Bikbulatova, 15-10, and Lapchenko, 15-5. Minarik moved on to the quarters after a 15-5 win over Madeline Liao (Fresno, Calif.) and a 15-7 win against Melissa Du (Short Hills, N.J.)

Deschner defeated Anastasia Semenova (RUS), 15-3, in the quarters while Binder defeated Anna Udovichenko (RUS), 15-6, to set up a semifinal against Minarik who upset Renata Tomczuk (POL), the No. 1 fencer in the Cadet European Standings, by a score of 15-12.

Binder outscored Minarik, 15-6, in the semifinals and Deschner won her semi with a 15-14 win against Leonie Ebert (GER), the 2015 Cadet World Champion and Junior World bronze medalist.

Binder defeated Deschner, 15-10, in the gold medal final to become the first U.S. fencer to win the Tauberbischofsheim Cadet European Cup in back-to-back years. 

The win allowed Binder, who took silver at the Budapest Cadet European Cup in September, to move up to the No. 2 position in the Cadet European Standings while Deschner remains fourth.

Binder and Deschner are currently ranked No. 1 and 2 in the USA Fencing Cadet National Team Point Standings. Minarik climbed the rankings to No. 4 where she sits behind Isabelle Elizondo (Cypress, Texas) who won gold in Budapest and finished 19th in Tauberbischosheim.

Click here to view complete results.

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

Tauberbischofsheim Women’s Foil Cadet European Cup
1. Sylvie Binder (Armonk, N.Y.)
2. Stefani Deschner (Mechanicsville, Va.)
3. Leonie Ebert (GER)
3. Natali Minarik (Glen Oak, N.Y.)
5. Renata Tomczak (POL)
6. Anastasia Semenova (RUS)
7. Anna Udovichenko (RUS)
8. Alexandra Sunduchkova (RUS)

11. Melissa Du (Short Hills, N.J.)
12. May Tieu (Belle Mead, N.J.)
14. Rachel Zhang (Winchester Mass.)
15. Madeline Liao (Fresno, Calif.)
17. Emme Zhou (Lexington, Mass.)
19. Isabelle Elizondo (Cypress, Texas)
20. Alyssa Chen (San Diego, Calif.)
27. Delphine DeVore (Westport, Conn.)
30. Polly Adler (Scarsdale, N.Y.)
31. Sara Martos (El Cerrito, Calif.)
37. Sophia Mandour (Perry Hall, Md.)
38. Alexandra Park (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
38. Samantha Viqueira (Maplewood, N.J.)
45. Shiaoching Tse (Apex, N.C.)
47. Justine Banbury (East Grand Rapids, Mich.)
73. Grace Hao (Coppell, Texas)
75. Maia Mei Weintraub (Philadelphia, Pa.)