HAVANA, Cuba, June 17, 2018—USA’s Eli Dershwitz, ranked fourth in the world, took gold at the Pan American Zonal Fencing Championships in individual men’s sabre and USA fencer Lee Kiefer, ranked third in the world, won the individual women’s foil event. This was the third day of competition at the six-day, 12-event Championship at Havana’s Coliseum of the Sports City. More than 100 fencers from throughout the Americas competed in the two events.
Dershwitz fenced Canada’s Shaul Gordon in the final of individual men’s sabre, winning with a 15-9 result. Gordon defeated USA’s Andrew Mackiewicz, 15-10, in the semi-final and Dershwitz beat his teammate, Olympic silver medallist Daryl Homer in the same round, 15-8.
Kiefer, the defending Pan American champion, defeated Canada’s Kelleigh Ryan in the women’s foil final, 15-12, making this her ninth time to win the event. Ryan overtook USA’s Nicole Ross in the semi-final, 14-5, and Kiefer had a close 15-14 win over her teammate, Nzingha Prescod in the same round.
The overall top-eight ranking for individual men’s sabre at the Pan American Zonal Fencing Championships includes Eli Dershwitz (USA, gold), Shaul Gordon (CAN, silver), Andrew Mackiewicz (USA, bronze), Daryl Homer (USA, bronze), Eliecer Romero (VEN), Benjamin Natanzon (USA), Julian Ayala (MEX) and Ricardo Alvarez (CHI).
The top-eight rankings from individual women’s foil include Lee Kiefer (USA, gold), Kelleigh Ryan (CAN, silver), Nicole Ross (USA, bronze), Nzingha Prescod (USA, bronze), Eleanor Harvey (CAN), Alanna Goldie (CAN), Saskia Loretta Van Erven Garcia (COL) and Margaret Lu (USA).
Full results from the Pan American Zonal Fencing Championships may be found here for the men’s and here for the women’s events.