Richmond fencer Shaul Gordon has achieved his best-ever result at the senior international level, winning silver in men’s saber at the Pan American Championships in Havana, Cuba.
The 23-year-old had a day to remember, earning six wins and no losses in poules (preliminaries for the 54 competitors), advancing him directly to the round of 32 where he defeated Brazil’s Enrico Pezzil 15-6. He then won his next two bouts a close 15-13, first against Sebastien Cuellar from Colombia, and then against Ricardo Alvarez from Chile in the quarter-finals.
Gordon faced American Andrew Mackiewicz in the semi-finals and came away with a 15-10 win advancing him to the gold medal final. His only loss of the day came in the final against another American — World No. 4 Eli Dershwitz — who won 15-9.
In total, the Canadian team won three silver medals and one bronze. Wednesday’s team competition will conclude the Pan Am Championships.
Gordon, who is a second-year law student at McGill University in Montreal, will then spend some time back home in Richmond before heading to China where he will captain the Canadian saber team at the World Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China, July 7.
The Richmond-based Dynamo Fencing product has his sights on competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Toyko.Â
