July 25 – The Canadian men and women’s epee teams both placed 5th in the epee team competions on Friday at the CIBC Pan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House, with both teams falling in the quarter-finals to Cuba.

The women’s side of Leonora Mackinnon, Malinka Hoppe Montanaro and Alexis D. Anna Rudkovska lost in their quarter-final bout against the Cuban women by a score of 45-26, while Hugues Boisvert-Simard, Maxime Brinck-Croteau and Jean Lelion lost to the men, 45-37.

On the women’s side, the Canadian trio kept the score close throughout the first two bouts, but the strong Cuban side of Seily Mendoza, Yamirka Rodriguez and Yoslaine Cardenal began to took over and push the score out of reach.

The Canadians rebounded with a strong win over Colombia to earn a spot in the 5th place placement match. Mackinnon gave the Canadians a bit of a cushion in the fourth bout, but the Colombians continued to battle back until Hoppe Montanaro and Rudkovska combined in back-to-back bouts to extend the lead wide enough for Mackinnon to come in and hold the lead in the eight bout. Rudkovska put the finishing touches on the win with seven hits in the final bout to lock up the victory.

In the 5th place match, the Canadians kept the momentum going and we’re able to win again, this time against the Domenican Republic by a score of 45-37. The Canadian side was down 12-10 through three bouts, but a ten-touch bout by Mackinnon paced Canada to a win by giving them a lead they never relinquished.

The men’s day followed a similar script, as they too fell in their quarter-final bout to Cuba. The Cubans took six of the nine bouts and held the lead from start to finish. Brinck-Croteau and Boisvert-Simard put up 11 points in the final two bouts, but they were unable to make up enough ground and catch up in the match.

In their first placement match the Canadian men faced Brazil, who they were able to defeat 44-41. The match was tight through five bouts before Maxime Brinck-Croteau put up seven points without conceiding any in the 6th bout to extend Canada’s lead to eight. The Brazilians climbed back to within two, but Boisvert-Simard was able to match Brazilian Athos Schwantes point-for-point in the final bout to hold the lead and secure the win for the Canadians.

The men then took down the Mexican team in the 5th place match, 45-27, a match in which they held the lead throughout. They built a 35-25 lead going into the eighth bout, where Brinck-Croteau held the score, clearing the way for Boisvert-Simard to put up the ten remaining points and clinch the win for Canada.

The final day of fencing, and of the Pan Am Games, goes tomorrow with team foil competitions wrapping up the week.

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