🇺🇸 TEAM USA ENDS EIGHT-YEAR DROUGHT TO CAPTURE PAN AMERICAN TEAM EPEE TITLE

LIMA, PERU — 19 JUNE 2026

The United States’ World number 11 Team USA engineered an exceptional tactical breakthrough on the fifth day of the 2026 Pan American Fencing Championships, capturing an historic men’s team epee gold medal. Competing in Lima, the resilient American squad held their nerve through a pair of heart-stopping direct elimination thrillers to defeat their continental rivals Venezuela 45–43 in an absolute classic gold medal bout.

The monumental victory marks the first time Team USA has stood on the Pan American men's team epee podium since they last won the event back in 2018. The result forced Venezuela to settle for a silver medal after winning the past four consecutive continental titles, while World number 29 Brazil repeated their 2024 success by capturing the bronze.

Path to the Podium

Team USA, who lined up with Gabriel Feinberg, Elijah Imrek, Oleg Knysh and Ariel Simmons, received a first-round bye before opening their account with a routine 45–28 defeat of World number 38 Chile.

Their semi-final fight against Colombia nearly turned into a historic collapse. With Knysh resting on the bench, the USA built a steady 15–13 lead after three legs and opened it up to a commanding 30–22 advantage after six. The Americans carried a seemingly untouchable 40–26 cushion into the anchor leg. However, Colombia’s John Rodriguez produced a sensational, high-voltage scoring surge by landing 16 hits on Simmons. Simmons just managed to survive the onslaught to limp over the finish line and seal a 45–42 victory.

The gold medal match against Venezuela was a spectacular showcase of tactical adjustments. Venezuela seized the early running to lead 14–11 after three legs. The USA coaching staff immediately shook things up in the fifth leg, subbing in Knysh for Simmons. Although Knysh closed the gap, Venezuela's Jesus Limardo defeated Feinberg 9–6 in the sixth to put the defending champions up 30–25 with three legs remaining. Imrek began the American fightback by trimming the deficit by three hits in the seventh leg. Feinberg then turned the entire match on its head in the penultimate leg, executing a majestic 9–2 clinic against Gabriel Lugo to skyrocket the USA into a 40–35 lead. Despite a furious anchor-leg effort from Jesus Limardo, Knysh coolly guided the USA home to a 45–43 victory.

Team Venezuela, consisting of Miguel Figueroa Moreno, Francisco Limardo, Jesus Limardo and Gabriel Lugo, entered the draw as the four-time reigning champions but encountered massive resistance throughout the afternoon. The World number 15 squad survived a colossal scare in the quarter-finals, squeezing past World number 44 Argentina 43–42. With Moreno resting on the bench, they met Brazil in a highly tactical semi-final. The Brazilians edged a cagey opening third 6–5 before the Venezuelan veterans asserted control, surging into a 17–13 lead after six legs and comfortably protecting their advantage to advance with a 35–27 win.

Team Brazil, utilising a patient roster of Alexandre Camargo, Nicolas Deguchi, Matheus Brandt and Leopoldo Gubert, celebrated a magnificent tournament by securing a fully deserved bronze medal. After routing El Salvador 45–22, the Brazilians pulled off the upset of the morning by eliminating World number 19 Canada 45–37 in the quarter-finals.

Following their semi-final loss to Venezuela, Brazil executed a textbook team epee strategy to defeat Colombia 45–34 in the bronze medal play-off. The Brazilians edged the opening three legs 11–8, systematically broke the match open in the middle third to lead 28–21 and defended with total authority in the final three legs to seal their place on the podium.

Team Colombia, represented by Mario Caceres, John Rodriguez, Juan Castillo Gutierrez and Hernando Roa, made the top four for the second consecutive year. The World number 25 squad had previously secured silver medals in the three prior editions of the tournament. They reached the semi-finals by subduing Costa Rica 45–25 and winning a dramatic 41–40 quarter-final cliffhanger against Panama before falling to the USA and Brazil.

Full results are here.