Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Head Coach Tommi Hurme, from San Antonio,TX, the designated coach for the USA Men’s Epee Fencing Team, helped bring home a historic first ever gold medal and world championship title in the Junior Men’s Epee Team Event on April 9th, 2026.
The annual tournament welcomes the best cadet and junior fencers from around the world to compete for gold in their chosen weapon: foil, epee or saber. Team USA’s gold comes in epee, a weapon known as freestyle fencing because the entire body is a valid target area. ‘Cadet’ category fencers are ages 17 and under while ‘Junior’ fencers are 19 and under.
The gold medal is a historic first in the Junior Men’s Epee Team event for the United States. Read the USA Fencing press release about the historic win here. The team consisted of Simon Lioznyanski, James Sennewald, and Elijah Imrek from Alliance Fencing Academy and Nathaniel Wimmer from Elite Fencing Academy.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team’s achievement. Everyone came together and had moments of brilliance to achieve this momentous victory. This is a win we’ll remember for a lifetime.” said Team USA Coach, Tommi Hurme.