Maplewood Youth Wins Foil Fencing International Gold Medal

International foil fencing champion Jack Woods of Maplewood has added another notch to his belt… a gold medal in the Junior Men’s Foil Event at the Mission Fencing Center’s Regional Junior Cadet Circuit Tournament.

According to a release, Woods – who is ranked #1 in the U.S. in the Youth 14 years and under Men’s Foil Division and was ranked #1 for three consecutive years in younger age divisions - competed against sixty-one foil fencers from various States including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.

The RJCC provides a qualifying path for the 2016 Junior Olympics in Cleveland and the 2016 July Challenge in Dallas.

Woods had already qualified at the Junior Olympics last year, a release stated.

Woods also placed fifth in the DIV-1A Senior Men’s Open, at the Summer National Fencing Championships in San Jose in July. This also qualifies him to compete in the DIV 1 National Championships next year.

According to a release, Woods is one of the youngest of the top 20 Cadet fencers qualified to fence for the United States this season internationally.

Woods trains at the Lilov Fencing Academy in Cedar Grove under the tutelage of former Ukranian International Fencing Champion, Serge Vashkevich.

“Jack was in fine form at the RJCC as he always enjoys competing against the much older and experienced fencers,” Vashkevich said. “He is very driven because he is so passionate about fencing.”

Photo courtesy of Krysia Woods