The coaches were selected in men's and women's foil, men's and women's épée, women's sabre and wheelchair fencing, with each staff member due to begin in the role on Wednesday (January 1).

"I am excited for the coaches to start their work in preparing our team towards the Rio and Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games," USA Fencing director of sports performance Seth Kelsey, himself a World Championships gold medallist, said.

"The hiring process generated many applications by talented candidates and included feedback from athletes, the sport performance task force and the national office.

"We all are looking forward to working with these exceptional coaches."

Olympian Greg Massialas, who took over the men's foil team in 2012, will continue to lead the squad - which now holds the number one spot in the world, with four members of the team holding a position in the individual top 10 rankings - as they look to build on their first team world silver, picked up in August.

He helped Miles Chamley-Watson win the first US individual World Championship title in any weapon category with victory in Budapest in August.

Greg Massialas coached Miles Chamley-Watson to the first US individual World Championship title in any weapon category in August ©Getty Images


Ed Korfanty, who was inducted into the International Fencing Federation (FIE) Hall of Fame in 2013, will continue in his role as coach of the women's sabre team having guided them to two Olympic titles and six Olympic medals, as well as two team world titles.

Another returning coach comes in the form of Les Stawicki, who has led the US wheelchair fencing team to the last five Paralympic Games.

In 2013, Stawicki coached one of the most successful US wheelchair teams in history as Curtis Lovejoy won silver in category C épée and Catherine Bouwkamp won bronze in the combined women's sabre event at the World Championships in Hungary.

Benoit Bouysset will return for his second season in charge of the men's épée team after leading the team to silver at the Legnano World Cup in January.

Three-time Olympic coach Buckie Leach also returns to lead the women's foil team.

Leach has coached some of the most successful foil fencers in history as his athletes have claimed medals at the Olympic Games as well as the Junior, Senior and Cadet World Championships.

He is also currently the personal coach of London 2012 Olympian Nzingha Prescod who made history last season as the first US women's foil fencer to win gold at a Grand Prix.

Buckie Leach currently coaches Olympian Nzingha Prescod, who won the first US women’s foil gold at a Grand Prix ©Getty Images


Meanwhile, the women's épée will be led by Andrey Geva, a first-time member of the senior national team coaching staff.

A former national champion in Israel, Geva has built Alliance Fencing Academy into one of the nation's strongest épée programmes and has served as a coach at the Junior and Cadet World Championships.

The selection of the men's sabre head coach is being finalised and USA Fencing has said that the announcement will be made at a later date.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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