The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's fencing team earned a medal in each of the three sword disciplines on Day 1 of the OUA Championship, hosted by Trent University.
With the first day of the provincial showcase serving as individual event disciplines, U of T women collected a gold and two silvers.
In the foil, Catherine Wu finished first overall after going undefeated on Day 1. Entering elimination matches, Wu claimed wins over McMaster, Western and teammate Zoey Xie to earn her spot in the gold medal match. From there she earned the top spot on the podium with a 15-12 victory over her opponent from Queen's.
Adding a silver in the epee, Valerie Qi found herself put to the test in the first round of elimination matches, earning a one-point victory over teammate Annabelle Wong. After the narrow win, she would get on a roll with clear victories over TMU and another teammate in Lilla Mucsi. Her run to the final would come to an end in the gold medal match, finishing on the other end of a one-point decision versus the gold medalist from Western.
Janna Elshakankiri took second overall in the individual sabre. After going undefeated through round-robin matches, the Varsity Blues veteran made her way into the quarter-finals with a decisive 15-4 win over RMC in the first round of the playoffs. From there she registered a 15-13 win versus Ottawa, before claiming a 15-11 victory against another RMC opponent in the semifinals. Coming as close as two-points, Elshakankiri fell in a narrow decision 15-13 in the gold medal match.
Competition continues tomorrow (Jan. 25) morning with the championship concluding with team relays.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Foil
- Catherine Wu, Toronto
- Alison Wang, Queen's
- Ericka Dominguez, TMU
Epee
- Judy Li, Western
- Valerie Qi, Toronto
- Jenny Li, Western
Sabre
- Tatiana Gayowski, Queen's
- Janna Elshakankiri, Toronto
- Victoria Zhang, RMC
