Ibtihaj Muhammad won the women’s sabre title at the Junior Olympics in Dallas, Texas this weekend. In her last year of eligibility in the under-20 competition, the sophomore beat out 117 other fencers for the elite title.
For Muhammad, this title came on play characterized by confidence and a calm nature once she got into the action.
“She fenced like she fences usually,” head coach Alex Beguinet said. “But she was much more relaxed. She was enjoying the competition more than in the past.”
The sophomore attributed her victory over the long-lasting competition to coaching support and practice.
“Coach [Beguinet] was with me the entire time from the early afternoon to the late night,” Muhammad said. “He knows that as a team, we train really hard and results like this come from that training.”
Muhammad lost her first bout but did not lose again for the rest of competition. Beguinet said something clicked for Muhammad following her second match, after which she told him she thought she had a shot to win the tournament.
She took the final match 15-12 and never trailed after jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Beguinet said she was in control of the match after the first of two encounters.
“I have never really performed this well,” Muhammad said. “But when you are in the national circuit for a while, you come up against the same opponents every once in a while.”
The other Blue Devils who competed at Junior Olympics did not finish as high. Freshman Zach Moss finished 64th in the men’s épée. Sophomore Raymond Fan lost during the early rounds of the men’s foil tournament.
Marilyn Tycer won her first match, but the sophomore lost the following two in the women’s foil competition.
Several Blue Devils have won Junior Olympic titles over the past several years. Last season Muhammad and fellow sophomore Anne Kercsmar earned All-American honors following the 2004 NCAA Fencing Championships.
A Junior Olympics championship title has often translated into fencing success beyond a collegiate career. Mariel Zagunis, who won the sabre competition at the Junior Olympics in 2000, went out to win gold at the Athens Olympics in August.
Muhammad, Moss and Tycer are looking to capitalize on their experiences at the Junior Olympics as they head to the Atlantic South Regional tournament March 5 with five other Duke fencers. Muhammad, noting that the Junior Olympic competition is more stringent than that of the regional tournament, is looking to complete a top-five performance March 5 to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
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