Silver Medal For Bronx Fencer
Sep 16, 2016Posted by james
During the Rio Olympics, we had a couple of fencers who were in position to win unprecedented gold medals. Neither competitor won gold but both got close enough to have the chance to win the top prize.
One was Daryl Homer from The Bronx. He was defeated in sabre by the world’s third-ranked fencer. With a broad smile, he proudly received the silver medal.
Daryl learned about fencing when he was just five years old. He saw the word in the dictionary. Enamored with the description in the book, he begged his mother to allow him try the sport. He soon was under the tutelage of former fencing champion and Olympic bronze medalist Peter Westbrook. Now a business executive, Westbrook also is the founder of a foundation that embraces the sport to enrich the lives of young people from underserved communities in the New York City area.
Daryl emerged as a prized pupil, earning a place on four All-America teams. He also became the first American man to win a medal (silver during 2015) at a world championship event.
At Rio, Daryl won his first three matches by comfortable margins to reach the semifinals. His opponent in that round overcame a seven-point run by Daryl to force a final bout. Daryl then exploded to the center for a touch that placed him in the finals.
After that victory, Daryl told everyone he didn’t have any regrets about his do-or-die strategy that placed him in a position to compete for the gold. His comments were reported by the Associated Press: “I was like…If I lose doing this, I’m going to lose doing this and I don’t care…If you want a medal, you have to do something big for it.”
by james on Sep 16, 2016 |
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