Vet Worlds 2024, Day 7: Team USA Closes Tournament With Silver in Women’s Epee, Extending New Medal Record

DUBAI — How about one more for the road? Team USA wrapped up its stellar performance at the 2024 Veteran Fencing World Championships on Thursday, securing a silver medal in Vet Team Women’s Epee to end their record-breaking tournament on a high note. The team’s final tally of 26 medals is the most ever won by any country in a single Vet Worlds, surpassing their own previous record of 24 medals set last year.

The silver-medal-winning squad featured Ann Totemeier (Northern Colorado Fencers & Denver Fencing Center) and Toby Tolley (The Phoenix Center & Rogue Fencing Academy) for Vet-50, Valerie Asher (DC Fencers Club) and Lydia Fabry (Avant Garde Fencers Club & Fortune Fencing) for Vet-60, and Liz Kocab (Plymouth Ann Arbor Fencing Academy) and Charlotta Bowie (Modern Duelists Fencing Academy) for Vet-70.

Team USA started strong with a commanding 30-12 pool-round victory over Japan, but suffered a setback against Switzerland, falling 26-30. That left the United States with the No. 6 seed and a challenging path through the elimination rounds.

In the Round of 16, Team USA defeated Japan 26-20, followed by a solid 30-20 quarterfinal victory over Great Britain. The semifinal match against Australia saw the Americans fend off a late surge to claim a narrow 26-24 win, securing their place in the gold medal final.

The final pitted Team USA against reigning champions Germany, who had won the same event a year earlier in Daytona Beach. Despite a series of strong performances from the U.S. squad, Germany’s consistency proved too much, and Team USA fell 30-22, taking home the silver medal.

While the team had its sights set on gold, the silver marked a redemptive result after last year’s U.S. Women’s Epee team finished just outside the podium, losing by one touch in the bronze medal match.

Since the introduction of team events at Vet Worlds in 2014, the United States has claimed eight medals in the epee team competitions, including four golds for the men (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023) and two for the women (2017, 2022). This latest silver brings the total number of medals for the U.S. Women’s Epee Team to five: gold in 2017 and 2022, silver in 2018 and 2024, and bronze in 2019.

In the Men’s Epee Team event, Team USA reached the quarterfinals but fell to Germany, 30-24, finishing fifth overall.