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For Immediate Release: NEW YORK FENCER ROMAIN CANNONE WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SILVER MEDAL IN UZBEKISTAN

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For Immediate Release: NEW YORK FENCER ROMAIN CANNONE WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SILVER MEDAL IN UZBEKISTAN

Brooklyn, NY (April 25, 2015) –  Romain Cannone (New York, NY) finished his first season on the junior world circuit by capturing the silver team medal at the Fencing World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan earlier this month. Cannone, who trains in Coney Island, Brooklyn, fences for the French national team, which finished second out of 35 countries competing in the men’s epee team event.  Cannone previously earned a gold team medal at the European Championship in Maribor, Slovenia in March, and a bronze individual medal at the World Cup in Basel, Switzerland in February.

Romain Cannone
Romain Cannone of NY Fencing Academy – Silver Medalist in Junior World Championship Men’s Team Epee 2015

At 17 years old, Cannone was one of the youngest athletes to fence in the Junior World Championships, which is the culminating event of the season for the world’s best fencers ages 20 and under. The team tournament lasts for two days with one day of rest in between. France began with a 45-35 win over Brazil to make top 16.  Next, they faced Israel and won 45-38. In the table of 8, they continued to dominate by defeating Poland 45-34.  According to Cannone, the most stressful match came on the second day of competition in the semi-finals against Hungary, whom they previously defeated to win the European Championship in March.  The two rivals engaged in a very intense match, but France pulled out a slim victory over Hungary, winning by just one point in priority with a score of 28-27.  In the final match versus Germany, Cannone thinks they were just too confident and didn’t fence their best. France lost to Germany 36-45 to take second place. This was France’s best finish in the junior men’s team epee World Championship since 2004 when they earned their last silver medal. France is now ranked number 2 in the world behind Spain. Cannone, who was not selected to fence in this year’s individual World Championship, is ranked 49th out of 629 athletes.

For Cannone, competing in his first World Championship was an unforgettable experience. “Right when you came out of the airplane you had someone to greet you and help you along the way until you reached your hotel. You could tell people were very aware of what was going on; when we turned on the TV at the hotel, there was a channel just for fencing.”  In total, there were over 1000 athletes from 100 countries participating in multiple events over nine days, at one of the largest sports venues in the world. Cannone recalled “Tashkent was a very interesting, old city. The competition was huge, and one thing that was very cool were the hundreds of spectators that came to watch.”

Next, Cannone will be fencing in Paris on May 1st at the Challenge SNCF Reseau Coupe du Monde.  For the best adult men’s epee athletes in the world, this prestigious Senior World Cup is the first step towards qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics.  For Cannone, who just turned 18 on his way home from Tashkent and has three more years in the junior age category, this will be a great experience and preview of what fencing may have in store for him in the future.

Romain Cannone, left, France v Germany Team Finals, Junior World Championship 2015, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Romain Cannone, left, France v Germany Team Finals, Junior World Championship 2015, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

New York Fencing Academy (NYFA) was founded in 2010 by owner and head coach Misha Mokretsov and is located in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. NYFA is quickly becoming a center for excellence in epee, with one of the strongest competitive epee programs in the tri-state area. In just five years, NYFA has produced many nationally-ranked fencers earning Champion and Finalist titles at International and National competitions, including a European Champion on the French junior national team. NYFA provides private lessons, group classes, and camps for students of all ages and all levels, beginners to advanced. Visit www.fencenyfa.com for more info.

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Contact: Misha Mokretsov
Company: New York Fencing Academy
Address: 2896 W 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Club Phone: (718) 996-0426
Cell Phone: (347) 741-1343
Email: info.nyfa@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fencenyfa.com

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For Immediate Release: NEW YORK FENCING ACADEMY’S ROMAIN CANNONE WINS TEAM GOLD AT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

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For Immediate Release: NEW YORK FENCING ACADEMY’S ROMAIN CANNONE WINS TEAM GOLD AT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Brooklyn, NY (March 12, 2015) – After earning an individual bronze medal at the Basel World Cup, Romain Cannone (New York, NY) was selected to compete for France at the European Fencing Championships in Maribor, Slovenia. As Cannone explained, “just being there was a dream come true because it is really the competition everyone wants to go to.” He and his teammates took this opportunity all the way to the top, winning the Junior Champion title in the men’s epee team event.

Romain Cannone (right) - Gold, European Junior Team Championships Maribor Slovenia
Romain Cannone (right) – European Junior Team Champion

Fourth seeded France got off to a rough start, barely beating 13th ranked Estonia by just one point. This close win put them in top 8, where they had to pull it together to face fifth ranked Switzerland. France was down by four, but Cannone scored eight points to help his team win 45-41. Next they had to defeat Israel which was ranked eighth but had just beaten Spain to take the first seed spot. Cannone was a little anxious since Israel’s Yuval Shalom Freilich, number one in the world, eliminated Cannone two days earlier, on his way to winning the individual championship. However, this time, Cannone and his teammates were unstoppable, soundly defeating Freilich and the Israeli team 45-29.

The final match against sixth seeded Hungary was very tough. France was ahead 22-21 when Cannone began the second to last bout. It was important to bring the score as close as possible to 40 without losing the lead. The Hungarians put in their best fencer, Zsombor Banyai, who won silver in the individual event. Perhaps they hoped to take advantage of France’s least experienced, first year rookie, but Cannone held his ground and even increased France’s lead to 31-29. The final bout was very intense; France was ahead 44-41 and in the last five seconds, Hungary started to make a big comeback. Still, Cannone recalled, “we just knew we were going to win.” And they did, by 1 point. With the final score of 45-44, France’s team and NYFA’s Cannone, became the 2015 European Junior Champions.

In his last international competition for the season, Cannone will be competing in the World Championship team event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on April 1.

Romain Cannone (left) Team France - Gold, European Junior Championships Maribor Slovenia
Romain Cannone (left) with Team France – European Junior Champions

New York Fencing Academy (NYFA) was founded in 2010 by owner and head coach Misha Mokretsov and is located in Brooklyn, NY. NYFA is quickly becoming a center for excellence in epee, with one of the strongest competitive epee youth and cadet programs in the tri-state area. In just four years, NYFA has produced many nationally-ranked fencers earning Champion and Finalist titles at International and National competitions, including a European Champion on the French junior national team. NYFA provides private lessons, group classes, and camps for students of all ages and all levels, beginners to advanced. Visit www.fencenyfa.com for more info.

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Contact: Misha Mokretsov
Company: New York Fencing Academy
Address: 2896 W 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Club Phone: (718) 996-0426
Cell Phone: (347) 741-1343
Email: info.nyfa@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fencenyfa.com

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For Immediate Release: NEW YORK FENCER, ROMAIN CANNONE, WINS BRONZE AT WORLD CUP, RANKED NO. 1 IN FRANCE

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Brooklyn, NY (February 2, 2015) – In his first year on the French junior national team, 17-year-old, Romain Cannone (New York, NY), upset the first and second world ranked fencers en route to his bronze medal finish at the Basel Junior World Cup in Switzerland in January. Cannone is now France’s number one ranked fencer in the men’s epee under-20 category.

Cannone is a high school senior who trains at the New York Fencing Academy in Brooklyn and attends John Jay High School in Westchester. Last year, he began his international fencing career on France’s cadet (under-17) national team, winning gold at the Cadet World Cup in Slovakia, and ending the season ranked third in the world.

Now on the junior national team, Cannone competed in the Luxembourg and Slovakia World Cups, before heading to Switzerland. Disappointed with his top 32 finish at the Salt Lake City North American Cup a week before, Cannone wanted to meet up with his teammates in France for a few days of training then just go “have fun fencing” at the World Cup.

Cannone got off to a shaky start in pools, losing 2-5 to Italy’s Bergamini, silver medalist at last year’s North American Cup in Ohio. “I was a little too relaxed at first, but after that bout, the pressure kicked in,” Cannone recalled. He told himself to stop rushing and then won the remaining four bouts 5-0, 5-2, 5-4 and 5-1 against opponents from Russia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Cannone was seeded 46th in the competition after pools.

His first two direct elimination bouts against Kazakhstan and Estonia fencers were tense, but he managed to win 15-12 and 15-13 respectively. Next, he faced the number two world ranked fencer, Banyai, from Hungary. Cannone patiently let him push and successfully counter attacked, resulting in a 15-10 victory. To make top 8, Cannone met his teammate, Bouillon, a tall, french grip whom he couldn’t counter attack. Cannone landed his hits on Bouillot’s knee, and won 15-13.

Cannone said the most interesting bout of the day was the semifinals against Freilich, number one in the world, from Israel. “I started off losing 0-3 and had to wake up” he recalled. “I turned it around to 5-3, and then Freilich got the next touch which started a debate. I had fleched and missed, and he did one action — take 4/riposte and scored, but the national coaches argued the point for awhile until I just said it was good and to move on. We continued to exchange touches and I was still down 12-14, but I wasn’t worried. I thought, I got this. I tied it 14-14 with a really good foot touch for 13, and then right at ‘fence!’ he faked deep and I counter attacked for 14. For 15, we took a long time but finally, when in distance, I fleched.” Cannone defeated Freilich 15-14 and earned a bronze medal after losing to the sixth world ranked fencer, Sych, from Ukraine, 12-15.

Cannone admits he may not always listen to advice while fencing. “When I get in the mode, I just play around. That’s when you can see what to do, you figure it out as you go.” He figured out how to exceed his goal to just have fun fencing that day. Now he hopes to medal at the final World Cup of the season in Latvia, and qualify to compete in the World Championships in Uzbekistan. He also looks forward to NCAA college fencing this fall. Cannone really likes being part of the French national team because they are very nice and supportive, even though he doesn’t get to spend much time with them. He finds it interesting how the French team lives together all year round in an athletic learning facility while getting their education at nearby colleges. It’s different from the US national team where the fencers mostly train in separate clubs all over the country. Cannone enjoys fencing and friendships in both worlds — with his clubmates in Brooklyn and his teammates in France.

New York Fencing Academy (NYFA) was founded in 2010 by owner and head coach Misha Mokretsov and is located in Brooklyn, NY. NYFA is quickly becoming a center for excellence in epee, with one of the strongest competitive epee youth and cadet programs in the tri-state area. In just four years, NYFA has produced many nationally-ranked fencers earning Champion and Finalist titles at International and National competitions, including a fencer on the French junior national team. NYFA provides private lessons, group classes, and camps for students of all ages and all levels, beginners to advanced. Visit www.fencenyfa.com for more info.

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Contact: Misha Mokretsov
Company: New York Fencing Academy
Address: 2896 W 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Club Phone: (718) 996-0426
Cell Phone: (347) 741-1343
Email: info.nyfa@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fencenyfa.com

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For Immediate Release: YOUNG BROOKLYN FENCERS WIN 7 NATIONAL MEDALS, CHAMPION TITLE AT NORTH AMERICAN CUP IN MEMPHIS

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Brooklyn, NY (March 20, 2014) – New York Fencing Academy (NYFA) students, ages 10 through 14, competed at the USA Fencing North American Cup (NAC) in Memphis,Tennessee last weekend. Several days a week, they come from all over Brooklyn to train in Coney Island with their coach, Misha Mokretsov. Although the club is less than four years old, their young members have quickly advanced to the top of the national ranks. Mokretsov attributes their success to their hard work and dedication, but also knows that the fun and camaraderie they share in the club and at tournaments, keeps them engaged and motivated to excel in the sport of fencing.

10-year-old Jaclyn Khrol of Bensonhurst, has only been fencing for 2 years, and won her first national title in the youth-10 girl’s epee competition. Seeded second after the pools, Khrol held her first three direct elimination opponents to no more than four touches each. Her final opponent, Westchester’s Keegan Glucksman, was not as easy to beat, but Khrol took the win with a score of 3-2. Khrol is ranked #2 in the US in her age group. She adds this gold medal to her previous best results of silver and bronze finishes at the last two NACs.

Anton Chmut from Midwood, is just 14-years-old and began the day seeded 21 out of 98 fencers, but that didn’t stop him from fighting his way to the finals strip where he earned his first national silver medal in the adult Division III men’s epee event. 12-year-old Alan Temiryaev from Brighton Beach and 10-year-old Mark Dolgonos from Bergen Beach, took home 2 more silver medals in the youth-12 and youth-10 boy’s epee categories, respectively.

A fourth silver medal was earned by the NYFA youth-10 team of Dolgonos, Skyler Liverant (Kensington) and Ethan Kushnerik (Mill Basin) In the final match, they missed the championship title by just 1 point, losing to a team of fencers from San Antonio,Texas and Westchester, NY. NYFA had the only team composed of athletes from a single club. The other five teams were mixes of some of the best fencers from various clubs around the country. “I am very proud of my students for demonstrating such a high level of fencing at a young age” Coach Mokretsov noted. “Their teamwork and goal-seeking attitudes helped them achieve outstanding results at the national level and shows they are qualified to compete internationally.”

Kushnerik also earned bronze in the youth-10 individual event where Liverant took top 8.

Fencing is an Olympic sport whose popularity is taking off across the US among boys and girls who value the mental and physical aspects of the game. Fencers train to be physically fit for fast reflexes, balance, and endurance. They develop analytical and strategic thinking, self-discipline, etiquette and a healthy competitive spirit. In addition to the opportunities to compete individually at the local, national, and international levels, there are many high schools and colleges, including Ivy Leagues, where athletes can participate in fencing as a team sport.

New York Fencing Academy (NYFA) was founded in 2010 by head coach and owner, Misha Mokretsov, and is located in Brooklyn, NY. NYFA is quickly becoming a center for excellence in epee, with one of the strongest competitive epee youth and cadet programs in the tri-state area. In just three years, NYFA has produced many nationally-ranked fencers earning Champion and Finalist titles at International and National competitions, including a fencer on the French Cadet Team. NYFA provides private lessons, group classes, and camps for students of all ages and all levels, beginners to advanced. Visit www.fencenyfa.com for more information.

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Contact: Misha Mokretsov
Company: New York Fencing Academy
Address: 2896 W 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Club Phone: (718) 996-0426
Cell Phone: (347) 741-1343
Email: info.nyfa@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fencenyfa.com

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For Immediate Release: BROOKLYN FENCERS BRING HOME THREE MEDALS FROM SUPER YOUTH CIRCUIT IN WASHINGTON D.C.

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Brooklyn, NY (February 4, 2014) – The three-day USA Fencing Super Youth Circuit ended favorably for young fencers from Brooklyn. The competition among athletes under 10, 12, and 14 years old took place in Washington D.C. on January 31st – February 2nd. Jaclyn Khrol, Alan Temiryaev, and Mark Dolgonos won silver and bronze medals in men’s and women’s epee Youth 10, Youth 12, and Youth 10 respectively. Going undefeated in the first round and seeded number one in the second round, Khrol defeated her first three opponents with scores of 10:0, 10:3, and 10:3. The gold medal bout against Keegan Gluckman from Westchester ended with Gluckman outscoring Jaclyn by one touch. Khrol’s tough bout brought her a silver medal.

Ranked 6th in the US in the Y12 age group, Temiryaev won all his bouts in the pools and was seeded second in round two. He firmly defeated his first three opponents 15:4, 15:0, and 15:6 respectively. These confident victories brought Temiryaev to the semi-final round. Fighting to make top two, he ceded 1 point against the silver medalist of this event, Hunter Candreva. The final score 14:15 for Candreva suspended Temiryaev from the opportunity to contend for gold. Competing with older athletes in the Y14 age group, on the second day, Alan Temiryaev placed 7th among 125 participants eliminating more experienced fencers from his way to the quarter-final. The Youth 14 competition has become an important point in Temiryaev’s fencing career. Here he obtained his national C-ranking which is a rare achievement for twelve years old fencers.

The Y10 men’s epee competition made Mark Dolgonos a silver medalist. He fought hard for every touch demonstrating excellent foot work and strategic fencing. Defeating his opponents in direct eliminations with scores of 10:4, 8:3, and 10:5, Dolgonos made his way to the final where he lost two touches to Milan Maddineni from Manhattan scoring 4:6.

Khrol, Temiryaev, and Dolgonos first started fencing three years ago at the New York Fencing Academy. The ten and twelve year old athletes practice five times a week with their coach Misha Mokretsov. For Temiryaev, this is the second bronze in the past month. Earlier in January, he placed third at the Sword in the Snow Super Youth Circuit in New Hampshire. Temiryaev earned a silver medal at the North American Cup in 2012.

New York Fencing Academy (NYFA) was founded in 2010 by Head Coach Misha Mokretsov and is located in Brooklyn, NY. NYFA is quickly becoming a center for excellence in epee, with one of the strongest competitive epee youth and cadet programs in the tri-state area. In just three years, NYFA has produced many nationally-ranked fencers earning Champion and Finalist titles at International and National competitions, including a fencer on the French Cadet Team. NYFA provides private lessons, group classes, and camps for students of all ages and all levels, beginners to advanced. Visit http://www.fencenyfa.com for more info.

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Contact: Misha Mokretsov
Company: New York Fencing Academy
Address: 2896 W 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Club Phone: (718) 996-0426
Cell Phone: (347) 741-1343
Email: info.nyfa@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fencenyfa.com