The Canadian Fencing Federation has announced its team for the 2021 Olympic Games set to take place next month in Tokyo, Japan, and Penn will be represented on Canada’s team as 2016 alumnus Shaul Gordon will compete in the men’s sabre event.
Gordon, from Richmond, British Columbia, earned his spot in the Games by virtue of his current No. 22 position in the International Fencing Federation (FIE) world rankings.
Gordon—who will make his Olympics debut—has represented Canada at two Pan American Games and six FIE World Championships. At the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, he helped Canada win a team silver in sabre and captured bronze in the individual sabre event.
Gordon fenced three years at Penn, transferring to the University after a year at Penn State. He was an NCAA Championships qualifier all three years for the Quakers, earning First-Team All-America as a sophomore and Second-Team All-American as a senior. Gordon also was the Ivy League individual sabre champion as a senior (14-1 record at Ivy Round Robins) and tri-champion as a sophomore (12-3 at Round Robins). He ended his Penn career with a 143-30 dual record and in his senior year, helped the Quakers earn a No. 1 national ranking and win its first Ivy team title in seven years.
The Olympic Games will take place from July 21 to Aug. 8, with fencing scheduled to run from July 24-Aug. 1.
