Brazilian fencers dominate at Americas Championships

“We came ready to work hard again and get good results this year too - we also have some high hopes for the Montreal World Cup this weekend.”

Team Brazil supporters look set to have plenty to cheer for at the Rio 2016 wheelchair fencing events, as their athletes won six out of seven events at the Americas Championships in Montreal, Canada, over the weekend (27-28 April).

With qualifying points at stake, Jovane Silva Guissone took gold in the foil and epee events in the men’s category B. It was a welcome confidence boost for the London 2012 gold medallist ahead of May’s (1-3 May) International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing World Cup.

“This is the fifth year that we’ve come here, and each time we get great results,” Guissone said. “We came ready to work hard again and get good results this year too - we also have some high hopes for the Montreal World Cup this weekend.”

Guissone beat Argentina’s Luis Alarcon to win in the epee event and added the foil title to his list of honours with a 15-9 victory over the USA’s Gerard Moreno.

The Brazilian also played a key role in Brazil’s victory in the team event. He and his teammates overpowered the USA 45-25 in the final.

Fabio Luis Damasceno helped Brazil’s dominance by claiming gold in the foil and epee events in the men’s category A.

In the women’s A foil, Brazilian Monica Santos won 15-1 in the final against Canada’s Ruth Sylvie Morel; the USA’s Lauryn Deluca and Victoria Espinosa earned the remaining bronze medals.

The only title not to go to a Brazilian was the women’s category A epee event, where Morel gave the Montreal crowd plenty to cheer about. She beat Deluca 15-6 to win the title for the fifth time in a row.

“I trained with commitment and dedication in order to earn my medals,” Morel said.

“This victory will help me in the world rankings, so it’s very motivating – I couldn’t have done any better.”

The wheelchair fencing action will continue in Montreal, with athletes outside the Americas region looking forward to the upcoming World Cup event.

Great Britain’s Piers Gilliver, who has won gold at his last three world cup events, is aiming for a remarkable fourth consecutive title.

According to Gilliver, having his opponents from the Americas compete again so soon after the regional championships brings advantages and disadvantages.

“Whilst I have the advantage of being rested, I haven't had the opportunity to get ‘into the zone’ of competition, or to gauge my current performance,” Gilliver said. “There are also the effects of long-haul travel.”

However, Gilliver does not intend to let jetlag stop him from making important progress toward Rio 2016. He said a new training regime has him well prepared for the tough competition.

“Winning this event would bring me a step closer to securing my place at the Paralympics,” he said. “My training programme has recently changed, which has increased the time and quality of my fencing, this and new sparring partners will hopefully keep me ready for the competitions ahead.”