Day One of competition at the Cadet /JR World Champs in Belek, Turkey:
Women’s saber kicked off the championships, with Becca Ward and Caroline Vloka returning to the Cadet team as the reigning Gold and Silver medalists. Monica Aksamit rounded out the squad.
All three US fencers struggle in the pools. Ward and Aksamit get a bye, but Vloka is forced into a DE to make it into the round of 32. There, Vloka meets a cagey Romanian with a propensity for closeouts, and just that quickly, is out of the event.
Aksamit hangs tough in the 32, and advances into the 16, where she faces Besbe of Tunisia. Monica grabs a 14-13 lead, but can’t hold it. She fails to advance to the top 8.
Ward outlasts a scrappy Italian in the 32, Vila of Spain in the 16, and handily defeats Guarneri of Italy in the 8. Ward will advance to tonight’s final event, along with the Ukranian Olga Kharlan, Besbe, and a Russian.
Cadet Men’s Foil
In the men’s foil competition 7th seed Gerek Meinhardt was upset by Korean Seung Bae Jeon 15-8 in the round of 32. Enzo Castellani, the #4 seed out of pools, is still fencing in the round of 32, and faces Mino Simone of Canada to advance to the round of 16.
You can read more about the 2007 Cadet and Junior Fencing World Championships in the Discussion Forum.
