U.S. sabre women struck gold today in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The highly experienced team won the Junior Women’s Sabre Team event at the Junior World Championships by one touch.
Three of the four U.S. team members already held medals from the week’s individual competitions: Emily Jacobson (18, Dunwoody, Ga.) and Mariel Zagunis (19 Beaverton, Ore.) won gold and silver, respectively, in the individual junior event and Caitlin Thompson (17, Portland, Ore.) gold in the Cadet.
Amelia Gaillard, 20, of Fayetteville, Ga. did not compete in the individual competitions, but holds gold and silver team medals from previous years. Zagunis is for the third season in a row the overall 2004 Junior World Cup Champion.
The four proved their superiority to the rest of the international junior field all over again today. The team defeated Turkey (45-18), Poland (45-31), and France (45-36) on the way to the final.
There, they met a determined Hungarian team and prevailed in a nerve-wracking 45-44 victory.
In other team competition today, the U.S. Junior Men’s Foil team of Brendan Meyers (15, New York, N.Y.), Clinton Kershaw (16, Fresno, Calif.), Dimitri Kirk-Gordon (18, Campbell, Calif.), and Nick Chinman (15, Boulder, Colo.) was seeded fourth going into the competition. The team had a bye in the table of 32, but lost its match in the round of 16 to 20th-seeded Japan in a match that went to time, 44-41.
The U.S.’s Junior Women’s Épée team of Kamara James(19, Jamaica, N.Y.), Kelley Hurley (15, San Antonio, Texas), Amy Orlando (19, Beaverton, Ore.) and Alexie Rubin (18, Los Angeles, Calif.) had a tough draw in their second match. Seeded 16th, they defeated the 17th-seeded team from Japan 45-34 in the table of 32, but then met the top-seeded team, Italy, and lost 45-38.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the conclusion of the Junior & Cadet World Championships, which will wrap up with the final three Junior Team events: Men’s Sabre, Women’s Foil, and Men’s Épée.
Junior Women’s Sabre Team
April 7, 2004
16 teams
1. U.S.A.
– JACOBSON Emily (18, Dunwoody, Ga./Nellya Fencers)
– ZAGUNIS Mariel (19, Beaverton, Ore./Oregon Fencing Alliance)
– THOMPSON Caitlin (17, Portland, Ore./Oregon Fencing Alliance)
– GAILLARD Amelia (20, Fayetteville, Ga./Nellya Fencers)
2 HUNGARY
3 RUSSIA
4 FRANCE
Junior Men’s Foil Team
April 7, 2004
27 teams
1 CHINA
2 ITALY
3 RUSSIA
4 ISRAEL
9 U.S.A.
– MEYERS Brendan (15, New York, N.Y./Fencers Club)
– KERSHAW Clinton (16, Fresno, Calif./Lucchetti Fencers)
– KIRK-GORDON Dimitri (18, Campbell, Calif./Lucchetti Fencers)
– CHINMAN Nicholas (15, Boulder, Colo./Northern Colo. Fencers)
Junior Women’s Épée Team
April 7, 2004
25 teams
1 CHINA
2 FRANCE
3 ROMANIA
4 SWITZERLAND
16 U.S.A.
– JAMES Kamara (19, Jamaica, N.Y./Westbrook Foundation)
– HURLEY Kelley (15, San Antonio, Texas/Team Hurley)
– ORLANDO Amy (19, Beaverton, Ore./North West Fencing Center/Notre Dame ’07)
– RUBIN Alexie (18, Los Angeles, Calif./ Beverly Hills F.C./Columbia Univ. ’07)
For more information, please contact Cindy Bent Findlay, USFA Media Contact, email: usfencingmedia@earthlink.net.