Fynn Fafard, a 17-year-old fencer from Roberts Creek, anchored Canada to a silver medal in the U17 Mixed Team Event at the Fencing World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria earlier this month.
Canada defeated Great Britain 30-21, and powerhouse nations Italy 30-22 and South Korea 30-25 before losing to Russia in the final 30-21.
The Mixed Team Event features each nation’s top fencer in all three weapons (sabre, foil and epeé) for both genders.
Each fencer faces their counterpart from the other team once in a six-round match up to 30.
By reaching the final, this edition of Team Canada became the first Canadian U17 Team to medal at a World Championships and at the same time they also became the first Canadian Team to ever beat Italy in any age group. When the feisty Canadian team came up against Italy in the round of eight, they knew they would have to have their best day to move into the final four.
Guided by head coach Victor Gantsevich of the Dynamo Fencing Club in Richmond, they did just that. The only satisfactory revenge for Italy would be to beat Canada in hockey at a World Championships.
Team Canada:
Marina Guintchitskaia – Women’s Sabre
François Cauchon – Men’s Sabre
Jane Caufield – Women’s Foil
Blake Broszus – Men’s Foil,
Ariane Leonard – Women’s Epée
Fynn Fafard – Men’s Epée,
Seraphim Hsieh Jarov – Men’s Epée (reserve)
– Submitted
