RIO DE JANEIRO – A San Antonio man coached his team to a world championship for the first time in American fencing history after dueling against multiple countries during a tournament held last week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Head Coach Tommi Hurme led the Team USA Junior Men’s Epee Fencing Team to their first-ever gold medal in the 2026 Junior & Cadet World Championship.
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Epee is a freestyle fencing weapon where the entire body is a valid target area, according to an Olympian Fencing Club press release.
Team USA’s junior men’s fencing team consists of four people 19 and under. Elijah Imrek, Simon Val Lioznyansky and James Sennewald are three native Texans who represent the Team USA men’s epee team, along with Nathaniel Wimmer from Virginia.
Coach Hurme’s fifth-seeded men’s epee team dueled against Columbia, Germany, Italy and China before preparing for a championship final against Israel.
Wimmer and Lioznyansky were the fencers who brought Team USA out of a 31-31 tie against Israel in the final to close out the final leg — giving Team USA a 45-39 victory and its first-ever Junior Men’s Epee Team world title.
“The first time winning for men feels amazing,” said Lioznyansky.
Since the Junior Men’s Epee Team event was introduced in 1998, the United States had never won gold in 28 attempts, according to the press release.
“Everyone came together and had moments of brilliance to achieve this momentous victory,” Hurme said. “This is a win we’ll remember for a lifetime.”
According to the Olympian Fencing Club website, Hurme runs the program, which is managed by the University of the Incarnate Word. The athletic club was founded in 2010 by Velizar Iliev, a former Team USA Olympian.
Hurme was nominated by USA Fencing to be the head coach for the 2026 Junior & Cadet World Championship.
The rest of Team USA’s performances led them to lead the tournament in medals against 26 other countries. Team USA brought home six gold, three silver and four bronze medals between both men and women teams.
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