USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Sixty-four-year-old Elizabeth Kocab (Farmington Hills, Mich.) earned Team USA’s first gold medal of the Veteran World Championships in Straslund, Germany on Wednesday, her third gold in the last four years.

After a silver medal win last year, Kocab reclaimed the gold in the women’s 60-69 event to continue her streak of medaling at each Vet Worlds she’s attended and take her fourth individual title.

Kocab won her direct elimination bouts in dominating fashion, overcoming her opponents by an average of nearly six points. Advancing out of the pools with a 5-1 record, Kocab swept her table of 32 opponent, Sirpa Lundgren (FIN), 10-0, before a 10-8 victory over Ibolya Hoffmann (HUN) who is the only athlete to beat Kocab at Vet Worlds in the past four years as Hoffmann won the gold last year by one touch.

In the quarterfinals, Kocab secured her sixth Vet World medal with a 10-4 win over teammate Cristina Gordet (Miami, Fla.) In the semis, she used a 6-0 run from a 3-2 lead to defeat Astrid Kircheis (GER), 10-3. With the gold on the line and the bout tied at three, Kocab gained momentum with five straight singles, going on to win 10-6 over Rasa Rumgailiene (LTU) and earn the second medal of the tournament for the United States.

Two other members of Team USA placed in the top eight in Gordet and Suzanne Marx (Portland, Ore.) Gordet finished seventh, defeating Annabelle Ballard (AUS), 10-6, in the 32 and three-time Vet World medalist Brigitte Delacour (FRA), 10-8, in the 16. Marx easily handled her table of 32 opponent Marinella Garzini (ITA), 10-2, and won 10-8 over Tatiana Zhdanova (RUS) in the next round, but her attempt for her first Vet World medal came up short with a 10-5 loss to Rimgailiene, finishing sixth.

Janice Midgley (Tinton Falls, N.J.) earned a bye into the table of 32, but was edged out by Hoffmann, 10-9.

All three members competing in the women’s +70 epee event advanced to the table of 32.

Thirteen-time team member Bettie Graham (Washington, D.C.) earned a narrow victory over Ilona Szkalla (HUN), 10-9, before falling to eventual gold medalist Marja-Liisa Tuulikki Someroja (FIN), 10-0, in the 16.

Both Erica Julien (Wilmington, N.C.) and Sarah Lawrence (Teaneck, N.J.) lost in the 32 with a close 10-9 defeat to Nicole Tissier (FRA) and a 10-3 loss to Dinie Evers (NED), respectively.

The men’s +70 men’s saber competition saw two Americans earn top-16 finishes.

After all four fencers advanced with byes to the 32 for the U.S., Philip Sbarbaro (Vienna, Va.) and Lucas Dobrzanski (Bakersfield, Calif.) earned spots in the table of 16. Sbarbaro cruised to a 10-1 win over Herbert Ottendorfer (AUT) in the 32 but lost 10-2 to Georg Endt (GER) in the following round. Similarly, Dobrzanski controlled his bout with Marian Panz (POL), 10-4, before falling 10-3 to Malcolm Cawton (GBR), who went on to win gold.

Victor Bianchini (San Diego, Calif.) and William Carson (Fort Collins, Colo.) each lost in the 32. Bianchini dropped his bout to 2015 Veteran Worlds bronze medalist Hanns Prechtl (GER), 10-7, while Carson fell 10-4 to Fabrizio Filippi (ITA).

In the 50-59 men’s foil competition, Don Davis (Potomac, Md.) and Jamie Douraghy (Los Angeles, Calif.) secured spots in the table of 32. Competing in the table of 64, Davis, making his Veteran Worlds debut, handily defeated Bas Mondt (NED), 10-3, while Douraghy advanced with a 10-4 win over Philip Lee (IRL). However, they were both eliminated in the 32 as Davis lost to last year’s bronze medalist Robert Blaschka (AUT), 10-4, and Douraghy was defeated by Laurent Bel (FRA), 10-2.

Julio Diaz (Douglasville, Ga.) and Roustam Pimoutkine (Brooklyn, N.Y.) also competed; both lost 10-9 on the final touch in the table of 64.

Click here to view complete results.

Competition continues tomorrow with the following events:

• Women’s 50-59 Foil
• Men’s Team Foil
• Women’s Team Epee
• Men’s 50-59 Saber
• Men’s 60-69 Saber

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

Veteran World Championships Men’s 50-59 Foil
1. Roman Christen (GER)
2. Laurent Bel (FRA)
3. Attila Csak (HUN)
3. Gabor Riesz (HUN)
5. Vasiliy Mishagin (RUS)
6. Andrey Kolchanov (RUS)
7. Robert Blaschka (AUT)
8. Evgeny Bozhenko (CAN)

19. Don Davis (Potomac, Md.)
27. Jamie Douraghy (Los Angeles, Calif.)
34. Julio Diaz (Douglasville, Ga.)
46. Roustam Pimoutkine (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Veteran World Championships Women’s 60-69 Epee
1. Elizabeth Kocab (Farmington Hills, Mich.)
2. Rasa Rimgailiene (LTU)
3. Corinne Aubailly (FRA)
3. Astrid Kircheis (GER)
5. Karin Jansen (GER)
6. Suzanne Marx (Portland, Ore.)
7. Christina Gordet (Miami, Fla.)
8. Ernone Kolczonay (HUN)

21. Janice Midgley (Tinton Falls, N.J.)

Veteran World Championships Women’s +70 Epee
1. Marja-Liisa Tuulikki Someroja (FIN)
2. Marie Chantal Demaille (FRA)
3. Brigitte Martin (FRA)
3. Ute Schiffmann (GER)
5. Barbel Gorius (GER)
6. Brigitte Greunke (GER)
7. Roswitha Stelzer (AUT)
8. Carole Seheult (GBR)

13. Bettie Graham (Washington, D.C.)
17. Erica Julien (Wilmington, N.C.)
21. Pat Lawrence (Teaneck, N.J.)

Veteran World Championships Men’s +70 Saber
1. Malcolm P Cawton (GBR)
2. Wolf Nettingsmeyer (GER)
3. Francesco Eugenio Negro (ITA)
3. Aleksandar Anastasov (MKD)
5. Fabrizio Filippi (ITA)
6. Jean Paul Spertini (FRA)
7. Andre Chaboisseau (FRA)
8. Georg Endt (GER)

13. Philip Sbarbaro (Vienna, Va.)
15. Lucas Dobrzanski (Bakersfield, Calif.)
17. Victor Bianchini (San Diego, Calif.)
27. William Carson (Fort Collins, Colo.)