(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – The 2020 Junior Olympic Championships could break new records as the largest edition of the competition in the event’s 48-year history this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.

The tournament will see National Champions crowned in the Junior (U20), Cadet (U17) and Junior Team events with more than 2,300 fencers ranging in age from 10 to 20 years old competing in the tournament which begins on Friday, Feb. 14 and concludes on Monday, Feb. 17.

Junior Olympic Championships Preliminary Seeding and Live Results

Competition will be held daily from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Preliminary rounds will be held in Exhibit Halls C and D with finals held in Battelle Grand Ballroom.

Admission is $5 per day at the door or $15 for a full-tournament pass. USA Fencing members with a supporting membership or higher are admitted free.

This year marks the first time the Junior Olympic Championships will be held in Columbus since 2002. Columbus was previously home to the 2019 USA Fencing National Championships and July Challenge which broke records as the largest edition of the tournament in history with more than 5,000 competitors.

Athletes represent 44 states and more than 350 clubs with the Fencers Club (54), Manhattan Fencing Center (43) and Alliance Fencing Academy (41) entering the most competitors.

The tournament serves as the final selection event for the 2020 Cadet World Team as well as the Junior World Team for men’s and women’s epee and women’s foil. Junior men’s and women’s saber and men’s foil squads will be finalized at the conclusion of the Junior Pan American Championships later this month in El Salvador. Athletes named to Team USA will have the opportunity to fence at the 2020 Junior and Cadet World Championships, April 3-11 in Salt Lake City.

Athletes to watch in Columbus include the following past Junior and Cadet World medalists:

  • Isaac Herbst (Houston, Texas / Junior Men’s Epee), 2019 Junior World team silver medalist
  • Greta Candreva (Katonah, N.Y. / Junior Women’s Epee), 2019 Junior World bronze medalist
  • Chloe Fox-Gitomer (Portland, Ore. / Junior Women’s Saber), 2018 Junior World team silver medalist
  • Tori Johnson (Peachtree City, Ga. / Junior Women’s Saber), 2018 Junior World team silver medalist
  • Chloe Gouhin (Blacklick, Ohio / Junior Women’s Saber), 2019 Cadet World silver medalist
  • Honor Johnson (Bethesda, Md. / Junior Women’s Saber), 2019 Cadet World bronze medalist
  • Emily Vermeule (Cambridge, Mass. / Junior Women’s Epee), 2018 Cadet World silver medalist
  • Alexis Anglade (Alpharetta, Ga. / Junior Women’s Saber), 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist
  • Kara Linder (Chandler, Ariz. / Junior Women’s Saber), 2016 Cadet World Team Champion

Also among this weekend’s competitors are 66 athletes from Ohio with athletes representing the following clubs:

  • American Fencing Academy of Dayton (Kettering)
  • Columbus Fencing and Fitness (Dublin)
  • Cyrano’s Place (Lakewood)
  • Hooked on Fencing (North Royalton)
  • Hudson Centers for the Martial Arts (Cincinnati)
  • On Target Fencing Team (North Ridgeville)
  • Profencing (Lewis Center)
  • Queen City Fencers Club (Cincinnati)
  • Royal Arts Fencing Academy (Columbus)
  • Two Ravens Fencing School (Cleveland)
  • Upper Arlington High School Fencing Club (Upper Arlington)

For more information, contact Nicole Jomantas, USA Fencing Director of Communications, at 719.761.7909 or N.Jomantas@usafencing.org

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