Canadians took home three more medals on day two of the 2018 IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Americas Championships in Saskatoon.  Bronze was the colour of the day for the Canadians as Matthieu Hébert (Beauharnois, QC), Pierre Mainville (St. Colomban, QC) and Ryan Rousell (Saskatoon, SK) all finished third in their Men’s Epee events; Hebert and Rousell in Men’s Epee A and Mainville in Men’s Epee B.

After finishing first and undefeated in poules, Hebert lost 15-13 against the Brazilian Ribeiro in the semifinals. The match was tight until the end when the Brazilian pulled ahead.

“It’s a shame because I should have won,” said Hebert, “It’s an opponent that I have already beaten several times, especially in poules today, but as in the last Americas Championships in 2015, I lost to him in the tableau. It’s a frustrating defeat because I had the ability to win today but it’s only postponed. I’ll come back stronger next time.”

Ryan Rousell also came out of the poules with great confidence. The only defeat recorded during this round was against Matthieu Hébert. He battled hard in the semi-finals against Brazilian Oliveira, and despite a hard-fought bout, he lost 15-14 in overtime after leading 14-11.

“The disappointment was high” stated High Performance Director Benjamin Manano, “but the experience gained today will serve as an important lesson for the future.”

Pierre Mainville also lost in the semi-finals against a Brazilian by the score of 7-6. After finishing with three wins and three losses in poules, he faced Brazilian Marusset in the semi-finals. The match was close and despite a nice comeback, Pierre lost the last point.

“I’m really disappointed because I was not able to turn the bout in my favor, stated Mainville.  “The disappointment is real because after a good result the day before, I have not managed to find the same feelings. It was a match within my reach. I will return to training as soon as possible next week and I think that a good video analysis with my coach will allow me to better understand what happened today.”

Newcomer Amber Briar (Saskatoon, SK) was the highlight of the day with her great performance in women’s Foil A. In her first international event, she won three and lost two in poules. She eventually lost in the quarter-finals to an American to finish fifth overall. It was an excellent first outing for the youngest athlete of the Canadian delegation.

Sylvie Morel (Pincourt, QC) also lost in the quarterfinals to an American after four victories and one loss in poules.

Sunday is the third and last day of competition with Camille Chai and Sylvie Morel competing in Women’s Sabre. Matthieu Hebert and Doug Brecht will both compete in the Men’s foil competition.

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