Richmond’s Shaul Gordon and Victor Gantsevich have been named to the Canadian fencing team headed to the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Nine women and nine men have qualified to represent their country based on results from the past season’s World Cup circuit. While the Pan American Games are not a 2020 Olympic qualifying event, Canada’s top fencers will use the multi-sport Games as important preparation for the Olympic qualification process and top fencers from the Pan American zone will be taking part.
The fencing squad will be made up of a combination of veteran and first time Pan American Games athletes. A total of 11 fencers took part in previous Pan American Games while seven others will compete in their first senior multi-sport games at the international level.
Gordon, 24, joins Quebec’s Joseph Polossifakis and Fares Arfa on the men’s sabre team. He competed at the last Pan Am Games in Toronto four years ago when he won silver in the team event and was a three-time All-American at the University of Pennsylvania.
Last month, he tied his personal best on the Senior World Cup circuit, placing 15th.
Gantsevich, a longtime member of the national team coaching staff who runs Dynamo Fencing in Richmond, will oversee the men’s épée team.
Canada won one gold, two silver and three bronze medals at the last Pan American Games in 2015 and are striving to surpass that total in Lima. Fencing will take place from August 5-10 at the Lima Convention Centre.
