RIO DE JANEIRO \u2013 A San Antonio man coached his team to a world championship for the first time in American fencing history after dueling against multiple countries during a tournament held last week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.<\/p>\n
Head Coach Tommi Hurme led the Team USA Junior Men\u2019s Epee Fencing Team to their first-ever gold medal in the 2026 Junior & Cadet World Championship. <\/p>\n
Epee is a freestyle fencing weapon where the entire body is a valid target area, according to an Olympian Fencing Club press release. <\/p>\n
Team USA\u2019s junior men\u2019s fencing team consists of four people 19 and under. Elijah Imrek, Simon Val Lioznyansky and James Sennewald are three native Texans who represent the Team USA men\u2019s epee team, along with Nathaniel Wimmer from Virginia.<\/p>\n
Coach Hurme\u2019s fifth-seeded men\u2019s epee team dueled against Columbia, Germany, Italy and China before preparing for a championship final against Israel.<\/p>\n
Wimmer and Lioznyansky were the fencers who brought Team USA out of a 31-31 tie against Israel in the final to close out the final leg \u2014 giving Team USA a 45-39 victory and its first-ever Junior Men\u2019s Epee Team world title.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time winning for men feels amazing,\u201d said Lioznyansky.<\/p>\n
Since the Junior Men\u2019s Epee Team event was introduced in 1998, the United States had never won gold in 28 attempts, according to the press release.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone came together and had moments of brilliance to achieve this momentous victory,\u201d Hurme said. \u201cThis is a win we\u2019ll remember for a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n