The Pan Am Fencing Championships in Havana, Cuba have come to an end and Canada has come away with a total of eight medals, including six silver and two bronze medals.

Canada added four medals to its total in the team competition which wrapped up yesterday.  Canada’s Men’s Sabre team finished with a silver medal yesterday after losing to the USA in the finals.  Canada’s team of Shaul Gordon (Montreal, QC), Fares Arfa (Laval, QC), Marc Gelinas (Blainville, QC) and Pascal Lambert (L’Epiphanie, QC) defeated Brazil by a score of 45-37 to advance to the semi-finals where they faced Venezuela.  Canada won by a score of 45-39 to advance to the finals where they faced Team USA and lost 45-30 to take home silver for Canada.

Canada’s Women’s Foil Team of Kelleigh Ryan (Ottawa, ON), Alanna Goldie (Calgary, AB), Eleanor Harvey (Hamilton, ON) and Shannon Comerford (Saskatoon, SK) also took home silver yesterday. The team, which is currently ranked sixth in the world, defeated Cuba by a score of 45-28 to advance to the semi-finals where they faced Argentina.  Canada defeated Argentina by a score of 45-16 to advance to the finals where they faced Team USA, currently ranked third in the World, and lost 45-38 to earn silver.

Canada’s third silver medal in team competition came in Women’s Epee.  The team of Leonora MacKinnon (UK), Malinka Hoppe Montanaro (Montreal, QC), Kay Sze (Vancouver, BC) and Shirley Guo (Toronto, ON) defeated Costa Rica 45-23 and then faced Brazil in the semi-finals, winning a close 45-44 to advance to the final.  Canada lost to USA 45-33 to take silver.

Canada’s Men’s Foil team of Maximillian Van Haaster (Montreal, QC), Blake Broszus (San Francisco, CA), Eli Shenkel (New York, NY) and Misha Sweet (Winnipeg, MB) won a bronze medal.  The team defeated the Dominican Republic 45-16, then Mexico 45-33 to advance to the semi-finals where they faced Team USA. Canada lost 45-20 but then defeated Puerto Rico 45-37 to capture bronze.

Canada’s Women’s Sabre team finished in 4^th place, just out of the medals, while the men’s epee team finished in 7^th.

Earlier in the week, Kelleigh Ryan (Women’s Foil), Shaul Gordon (Men’s Saber), and Maximilien Van Haaster (Men’s Foil) earned Individual silver medals while sixteen year-old Shirley Guo (Women’s Epee) took home bronze.

Canada’s top fencers will be finishing off the season by competing in the 2018 World Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China from July 19-27, 2018.

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