March 2025 NAC Recap, Day 4: Thrilling Overtime Touches, Dancing Footwork, and Inspiring First Golds

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Jerry Sun (Yang Fencing Club) stepped to the en garde line, knowing one touch would mean the difference between gold and silver. With the score tied at 6 after time expired, the fencers entered “priority” — essentially an overtime period where the next touch wins.

“I was a little nervous,” Jerry says. “So I just fleched and — yeah.”

That decisive moment helped Jerry secure victory in the Y-10 Men’s Epee competition on Monday, the fourth and final day of the March 2025 North American Cup.

After the winning touch, Jerry was swarmed by his teammates who rushed to congratulate him.

“It made me happy, and I want to thank them for doing that,” he says.

One of those teammates was Lucas Lee, who was equally nervous but confident about his clubmate’s chances.

“I didn’t really want him to lose,” Lucas says. “But then after he got the priority, I knew that he was probably gonna win this, because in practice, we work on how to win in priority. We’re all friends. We all ran out, and then we celebrated with him.”

Jerry says he plans to display his gold medal at home next to a photo from the tournament. He’ll use these as motivation to continue growing in the sport and pressing through its ups and downs.

“If I forget,” he says, “I’ll remember by looking at the picture.”

Yixuan Wang (Vancouver Fencing Center) had her share of “photo finishes,” too. The Cadet Women’s Saber gold medalist survived back-to-back 14-14 scores to reach the final, where she won, 15-12.

In those do-or-die moments, Yixuan has a simple strategy.

“I just want to fence my way and listen to my coach,” she says. “I just try to be confident and comfortable.”

For Andrew Yi (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation), the Y-10 Men’s Saber champ, the key to victory was moving his feet — a technique his coaches call “dancing.”

“They also said to stay calm until the end of the bout,” he says. “And don’t lose confidence.”

Vivian Young (Olympian Fencing Club & Austin Fencers Club) is feeling confident, too. With her first gold medal in Cadet Women’s Epee secured, she’s already eyeing the next mountain to climb.

“Well, it’s my first one, and honestly, I’m super excited,” she says. “I hope that I can keep performing well in the future. And I really like this sport. It’s my passion. It’s my dream to represent the U.S. and fence internationally.”