The October 2023 North American Cup kicked off on October 26 in Orlando, Florida. That event kicked off the fencing season. Up next is the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Between October 30 and November 4, fencers from 15 nations in the region will compete for honors. Gerek Meinhardt, Nick Itkin, and Miles Chamley-Watson are the American fencers to compete in the Men’s Foil.

Meinhardt will look to defend his gold medal in the same discipline from four years ago. He fought his way to the gold in the Men’s Foil at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. His biggest challenger might be someone from within his team rather than without. On Day 1 of the October 2023 NAC, Miles Chamley-Watson upset the applecart.

Miles Chamley-Watson’s advice for the future of fencing

Chamley-Watson beat Meinhardt to take the gold in the Division I Men’s Foil. After the bout, he addressed the media. When asked about his process in fencing, mental and physical, the two-time Olympian said, “Honestly, for me, I think it’s doing the same thing. I won this, but it’s in the past now. I don’t want to think too much about it, kinda move on to the next one. And yeah, keep doing what I’m doing, putting pressure on myself, still working very hard, and everything will kinda fall into place.”

Chamley-Watson also shared invaluable advice for the next generation of fencers. While stressing the need to enjoy oneself, he added, “You know, I’ve done enough Olympics to understand that it’s just added pressure. So, just enjoy yourself, work hard, and you should be where you need to be.” Chamley-Watson mentioned his coach also advises him regularly to find the fun in fencing.

“It feels incredible,” said Miles Chamley-Watson after the win

Chamley-Watson added winning the gold acted as the source of an incredible feeling. He said, “It honestly feels incredible. Obviously, with the Pan Ams coming up, it’s a lot of pressure. So, to secure one win out of the three NACs is really big for me mentally and it shows me that I’m working and things are going in the right direction, so very happy. Yeah, couldn’t be happier, actually, it was a long day.”

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Miles Chamley-Watson will have one eye on the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was part of Team USA for the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. At the latter, he secured a bronze medal as part of the Men’s Foil team. It remains to be seen if his quest for an Olympic gold ends successfully in the City of Light next year.

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