HAVANA, Cuba, June 15, 2018—Argentina’s Jesus Andres Lugones Ruggeri took the gold medal in men’s epee on the opening night of the 2018 Pan American Zonal Fencing Championships in Havana, Cuba. USA fencer Dagmara Wozniak also took gold in the women’s sabre event on the same evening. More than 110 fencers took part in the competitions, the first of six days of individual and team events hosted at Havana’s Coliseum of the Sports City.
In the final individual men’s epee match, Lugones Ruggeri defeated Olympic gold medallist Ruben Limardo Gascon of Venezuela, 15-10. Limardo overcame USA’s Curtis McDowald in the semi-final, 15-6, while Lugones Ruggeri beat USA’s Jacob Hoyle in the same round, 15-10.
Wozniak claimed victory in individual women’s sabre, defeating her teammate, Anne-Elizabeth Stone in the final, 15-9. Stone beat Maria Belen Perez Maurice of Argentina in the semi-final, 15-12, while Wozniak overcame another USA teammate, Chloe Fox-Gitomer, 15-6.
The overall top-eight ranking for men’s individual epee at the Pan American Zonal Fencing Championships includes Jesus Andres Lugones Ruggeri (ARG, gold), Ruben Limardo Gascon (VEN, silver), Curtis McDowald (USA, bronze), Jacob Hoyle (USA, bronze), Francisco Limardo (VEN), Jason Pryor (USA), John Edison Rodriguez (COL) and Yunior Venet Reytor (CUB).
The top-eight rankings from individual women’s sabre include Dagmara Wozniak (USA, gold), Anne-Elizabeth Stone (USA, silver), Maria Belen Perez Maurice (ARG, bronze), Chloe Fox-Gitomer (USA, bronze), Monica Aksamit (USA), Milagros Pastran (VEN), Natalia Botello (MEX) and Alejandra Jhonay Benitez Romero (VEN).
Full results from the Pan American Zonal Fencing Championships may be found here for the men’s and here for the women’s events.