article by Rebecca Harris via teamusa.org
RIO DE JANEIRO — As he was being chased down, nearly tripping off of the strip entirely, American saber fencer Daryl Homer somehow snuck his blade into German fencer Matyas Szabo’s ribs for a point during his quarterfinal bout. The point was heralded with chants of “U-S-A” from the audience, with the painted faces and bodies usually reserved for American football games, not for what could be called modern-day dueling.
Homer lost the gold-medal bout to Aron Szilagyi of Hungary, 15-8. He became the first U.S. medalist in men’s saber since Peter Westbrook won a bronze medal in 1984 and the first U.S. men’s silver medalist since William Grebe in 1904.
The U.S. has never won gold in men’s saber.“I wouldn’t have found an access point to fencing without Peter,” he said. Homer’s journey into fencing was a happy accident and he owes partial thanks to Westbrook. Homer came across the sport in a book one day. He took one look at the shiny masks and vests and told his mom he wanted to fence. She wasn’t a fan of the idea until she saw Westbrook in a TV commercial. Westbrook actually gave Homer entrée into the sport through his Peter Westbrook Foundation, which teaches fencing to New York area kids of color.
To read more, go to: Daryl Homer Scores Team USA’s First Men’s Saber Silver Since 1904
Posts tagged as “Olympic Silver Medalist”
Track star Lauryn Williams is the first American woman and the fifth athlete to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics after winning a silver medal in the women’s two-person bobsled at the Sochi Games on Wednesday.
Williams joined the sport only seven months ago. The 30-year-old track and field sprinter of Trinidadian decent competes internationally for the United States. She previously won gold as part of the women’s 4×100 relay in the 2012 London Games as well as a silver medal in the 100 meters at the 2004 Games in Athens.
“I didn’t come here to make history,” Williams said, as reported at TeamUSA.org. “I came here to help Team USA, and I feel like I did the best I could. I’m just happy to be here, and it wasn’t about history for me.”
Had Williams won gold, she would have become the first woman and only the second athlete ever to win a gold medal in the Olympic Winter and Summer Games. Eddie Eagan is the only other American to medal in both Olympics, winning gold in boxing in 1920 and in the four-man bobsled in 1932.
Chicago native and former Illinois track star Aja Evans took bronze in the women’s two-person bobsled, giving the US two medals in a bobsled event for the first time in history. A former Big Ten shot put champion, Evans also was a sprinter. “You go into the competition setting goals for yourself, and the ultimate goal is to win gold,” Evans said. “But you go in with nothing, so to come out with a bronze, you’ve reached a goal, you’ve achieved a lot. I’m just as excited as if I’ve won gold.”
Track star Lolo Jones finished in 11th place. Jones, a two-time Olympic hurdler, joined Williams as the ninth and 10th American athletes to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The U.S. is the only nation to medal in every women’s bobsled Olympic event since the discipline made its debut at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers won the inaugural women’s bobsled race in 2002, with Flowers becoming the first African-American ever to win a gold medal at the Winter Games.
article by Carolyn M. Brown via blackenterprise.com