Montreal, June 19, 2013 (Sportcom) – Three of four Canadian saber athetes accessed the quarter finals at the Pan-American Fencing Championships held in Cartagena, Columbia. Philippe Beaudry earned a bronze medal, while Mark Peros and Joseph Polossifakis finished their day in sixth and eighth place, respectively.

Ontario’s Joanna Guy also finished in the top eight Tuesday, earning fifth place in épée competitions. However, the day proved more challenging for Canada’s other epeeists: Ontario’s Alexis D. Anna Rudkovska finished 20th, Manitoba’s Daria Jorquera Palmer 39th, and Quebec’s Vanessa Lacas-Warrick made it to 40th.

Beaudry, 36th internationally, first won against Cuba’s Noslen Montalvo Cator 15-10 in the round robins, and then went on to win a key match 15-13 against American Jeff Spear – ranked 22nd internationally and Pan-American Silver medallist in title.

In the quarter finals, the Montreal native crossed swords with Cuba’s Daylon Diaz Acosta, absent from competitions since August 2010 – the Canadian won with a score of 15-13. Prior to his defeat, Diaz Acosta had bettered British Columbia’s Shaul Gordon, who’s day ended with a 15th place ranking.

Beaudry finally succumbed to defeat in the semi-finals, in a bout that ended 15-11 against American Aleksander Ochocki, ranked 91st internationally and favoured in the elimination tableau.

In the final, Ochocki himself was bested 15-13 by Brazil’s Renzo Agresta (40th according to FIE).
In the quarter finals, Ochocki dispatched Ontario’s Mark Peros in 15-14, while Agresta beat out Quebec’s Joseph Polossifakis in 15-9.

Toronto’s Peros (124th internationally) ousted Venezuela’s Luis Leal 15-11 in his first outing, then moved on to defeat Cuba’s Yoandry Iriarte Galvez with a score of 15-10.

Montreal’s Polossifakis – 2012 Pan-American Champion and 14th internationally – triumphed 15-9 against Venezuela’s Jesus Carvajal, and then 15-10 against Mexico’s Julian Ayala.

Top seed of the main tableau and ranked 56th internationally, Joanna Guy took on and won 15-12 against Chile’s Pia Montecinos Guerra, prior to easily winning 15-5 against Venezuela’s Eliana Lugo (ranked 53rd).

At only her third senior-level match, American Katharine Holmes put a stop to Mississauga-native Guy in the quarter finals, with a score of 15-10.

Holmes was then defeated by fellow American Courtney Hurley, 15-14.

Wednesday in Cartagena, team events will become the focus of the Pan-American Championships; epéeistes Marc-Antoine Blais-Bélanger, Hugues Boisvert-Simard, Maxime Brinck-Croteau and Vincent Pelletier, as well as foil specialists Shannon Comerford, Alanna Goldie, Eleanor Harvey and Kelleigh Ryan are up next to take on the world.

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Written by Sportcom for the Canadian Fencing Federation