Richmond fencers representing Team Canada brought home medals from the world championships this month.
Seventeen athletes from Dynamo Fencing Club competed in the 2025 Cadet and Junior (U17/U20) World Championships, held in WuXi, China, from April 7 to 15.
Daniel Rubin, Simon Shan and Nicholas Zhang won silver in the junior men's épée team event. Shan earned bronze in the individual cadet men's épée category. All competed for Team Canada.
"It's the most historic result in Canadian history at this level," said Igor Gantsevich, president of Dynamo Fencing Club.
"Of course, having many of the athletes Dynamo-centred is just so special."
Team Canada defeated third-ranked Team Kazakhstan, host Team China, and top European teams — a region Gantsevich called "the most prestigious fencing zone in the world."
"Imagine three of four members on Team Canada are from our small club in the Lower Mainland, and to have beaten a population of 1.5 billion people is special.
"It's extremely special to be able to build a Canadian national program that can compete against a professional state-run system, and we can still succeed at the highest level on their home field."
The team narrowly lost to reigning world champions Team Italy — by a single hit.
"It all came down to the wire, and they just beat us with a little bit more experience."
Despite the strong showing, Gantsevich called it a "half-full glass win."
"There could have been even more. It was a massive disappointment with our number one ranked foil fencer, Bowen Xu, who got injured in the evening."
Xu was a medallist at last year's U15 foil World Championship.
"It was a tough pill to swallow."
Olympian épée fencer Zhang, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and teammate Nadia Hayes, were both one hit away from medalling in their respective individual and team events.
Chiho Wong and Valeriia Bilous-Gridzhak, who trained at Dynamo, competed for Team Hong Kong and Team Ukraine, respectively.
Bilous-Gridzhak became a world champion, winning first place in the junior women's épée team event for Ukraine.
Wong earned bronze in the junior men's épée team event for Hong Kong.
"It's a really special time in the fencing community in our country and in the Lower Mainland. I'm so very proud of our achievement on the highest stage in the world for athletes at this age," said Gantsevich.
"I'm very proud of our national team."
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