DC Fencers Club member Clinton Feihong Rodell medals twice at his first international fencing competition

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 30, 2013

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DC Fencers Club member Clinton Feihong Rodell medals twice at his first international fencing competition

Rodell advances to #2 ranked Cadet fencer in the United States

(SILVER SPRING, MD) – DC Fencers Club congratulates Clinton Feihong Rodell (Annandale, VA), the reigning Junior Olympic Champion in cadet (under 17) men’s epee, who won his first international medal on Saturday when he took bronze at the Klagenfurt Epee Cadet European Cup in Austria. Rodell, a sophomore at J.E.B Stuart High School, also took bronze in the team event.

The 16-year-old had a slow start in the direct elimination tables where he narrowly defeated his U.S. teammates, Connor Ghazaleh (Winchest, Mass.) and Wesley Johnson (Pleasant View, Utah), by 15-13 scores in the table of 128 and 64, respectively. Rodell regrouped in the table of 32 where he gave up just four touches to Pavel Dubouski (Belorussia) in a 15-4 win and went on to qualify for the quarter-finals at his first international tournament after a 15-9 victory over Nicusor Florian Florea (Romania). In the quarter-finals, Rodell defeated teammate Zachary Zeller (Henderson, Nev.), 15-11, to secure Team USA’s first medal of the international season in epee. Rodell fell two touches short of qualifying for the finals when he lost his semifinal bout to Adrian Dabija (Romania) who went on to take gold and move into the #2 position in the Cadet European Rankings.

Rodell moves up in rankings with strong results

 

Rodell’s finish earned him Team USA’s highest position in the new Cadet European Rankings where he is currently 19th – the highest ranking for any fencer making an international debut this season.

The win also moves Rodell into the #2 cadet men’s epee ranking in the United States behind Justin Yoo (La Verne, Calif.). Rodell’s previous best results include silver in cadet men’s epee at the July 2013 USA Fencing North American Cup in Columbus, OH, and gold at the 2013 Junior Olympic Fencing Championships in Baltimore, MD in February 2013. The Junior Olympics is the culminating national youth event of the fencing season, and features more than 1,500 of the the best young American fencers in the Cadet (under 17) and Junior (Under 20) age categories in three different weapons (foil, epee, and sabre).

Throughout the fencing season, high-level fencers compete at national and international events, and top results help them accumulate points to qualify to represent Team USA at the World Championships. The Klagenfurt Epee Cadet Cup is one of several Cadet Circuit tournaments for high-performance epee fencers in the Cadet (under 17) category.

 

Rodell wins second bronze in team event

 

Rodell was also a member of USA Team 1, which took bronze in the men’s team event. Michael Popovici, Clinton Rodell, Esteban Sanchez and Jason Xu lost to Hungary Team 1 in the semis, 45-37, but defeated Hungary Team 2, 45-36, to place third.

Other DCFC members competed at Klagenfurt tournament. Isaac Shelanski (Washington, DC) rose to the #44 spot in cadet men’s epee. Brooke Sirico (Bowie, MD) took the #16 spot out of 173 fencers in cadet women’s epee.

 

About fencing tournaments

 

Fencing competitions in all three weapons usually consist of two rounds of bouting. In the first round of “pools,” six to eight fencers compete in a round-robin of 5-touch/3 minute bouts. Pool results inform the seeding of the next round, Direct Elimination or “DE.” Direct elimination bouts are 15 touch/9 minute bouts. Winners of each DE round advance to the table of 64, 32, 16, semifinals, and finals.

 

DC Fencers Club Summer Camps and Beginner Classes

 

Each generation of fencing champions gets its start in a beginner fencing class. This fall DC Fencers club hosts several beginner fencing classes on weekdays, weeknights, and Saturdays, including beginner classes for youth, and an all-ages/levels fencing class. Equipment is provided for beginners. For more information on getting involved in this Olympic sport, call 301-562-1990 or email .

About DC Fencers Club

 

DC Fencers Club (DCFC) has a national and international reputation as one of the best fencing clubs in the United States. The club offers instruction through classes, camps, workshops, and individual lessons. Fencers of all ages are welcome, and members range from recreational fencers to fencers who compete in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. DCFC coaches have a combined 100 years of training, competition, and teaching experience, and they include credentialed fencing masters and National and World Champions. DC Fencers Club promotes excellence, sportsmanship, and safety in a friendly, easygoing environment.

 

 

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