Junior & Cadet Worlds Day 7: Wimmer's Historic Junior Men's Epee Silver
Published
Nathaniel Wimmer (Elite Fencing Academy, McLean, Virginia) won silver in Junior Men's Epee on Day 7 of the 2026 Junior & Cadet World Championships in Rio — becoming only the second American ever to stand on that podium, and the first since Graham Wicas took silver in 2007 at Belek.
Nathaniel Wimmer (Elite Fencing Academy, McLean, Virginia) won silver in Junior Men's Epee on Day 7 of the 2026 Junior & Cadet World Championships in Rio — becoming only the second American ever to stand on that podium, and the first since Graham Wicas took silver in 2007 at Belek.
A very short list
USA Fencing listed every U.S. Junior Men's Epee medalist in history:
- Timothy Glass — bronze, 1975
- Benjamin Ungar — bronze, 2006
- Graham Wicas — silver, 2007
- Samuel Imrek — bronze, 2023 and 2024
Wimmer's silver is the best American finish in the event in nearly two decades.
How the day unfolded
- Pools: 6–0 with a +19 indicator
- Round of 16: 15–12 over Arseniy Karapysh (UKR)
- Quarterfinal: 15–5 over Ilya Lobikin (RUS)
- Semifinal: trailed 7–1 and came back to beat Kruz Schembri (ISV / Notre Dame) 15–10
- Final: silver
A 7–1 hole in a world semifinal is the sort of deficit that ends most runs. Wimmer's response — 14 of the next 19 touches — is the part young fencers should study.
A rare career double
Wimmer is the reigning Cadet champion in the weapon, which gives him something uncommon: podium finishes in both Cadet and Junior Men's Epee. Very few American epee fencers have managed that combination.
Cafasso reaches the top eight
Natalya Cafasso finished 8th in Junior Women's Epee out of a 169-fencer field. She would return the next day to take Cadet Women's Epee silver.
Other American results in Junior Men's Epee
- Simon Lioznyansky — 14th
- James Sennewald — 34th
Both would go on to fence in the Junior Men's Epee team event that produced the first U.S. gold in the discipline.
What this means for a saber family
Different weapon, same lesson: a clean pool round earns a favorable bracket, and the ability to reset after a bad start decides medals. In saber, where a 7–1 run takes under a minute, the reset skill matters even more. We drill it deliberately — score-down scenarios, short breaks, and a fixed routine between touches.
Related reading on Saber Nation
- Day 9 in Rio: Junior Men's Epee team claims first-ever world title
- All USA Fencing news for saber fencers
Train with us in Bethesda
Saber Nation coaches saber fencers at 4701 Sangamore Road, Suite LL2, Bethesda, MD 20816. See our saber fencing classes in Bethesda or contact us to find the right group.
Official USA Fencing source: Junior & Cadet Worlds Day 7: Wimmer Earns Historic Silver in Junior Men's Epee, Cafasso Reaches Top 8 in Women's Event — published April 7, 2026.
Training options
Continue with Day 9 in Rio: first Junior Men's Epee team title or More USA Fencing news or Saber fencing classes in Bethesda, MD.