WEINTRAUB WINS JUNIOR WORLDS TEAM GOLD

Fencing Academy of Philadelphia

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2022 DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Fencing Academy of Philadelphia athlete Maia Mei Weintraub won Junior Team Women's Foil with her American teammates, Rachael Kim, Zander Rhodes, and Lauren Scruggs. Coached by Maître d'Armes Mark L. Masters, Weintraub anchored the team. Maia and her teammates earned gold medals from Junior & Cadet Worlds, the first gold for Team USA in a junior team event since 2018.

Weintraub, a lifelong Philadelphian and student of Fencing Academy of Philadelphia since the age of 9, is a Princeton University undergrad. On March 25, Maia won the foil title in her NCAA Championships debut, becoming Princeton's second foil champion, their first in 22 years, and the sixth NCAA individual champion in Tiger fencing history. Previously, Maia was an alternate member of Team USA in the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Hosted by the world governing body of fencing, the International Fencing Federation (FIE), the Junior/Cadet Worlds Championship is the world championship event for fencers under the age of 20. In 2021 Team USA women’s foil junior team, which also included Weintraub, Rhodes, and Scruggs, won silver.

Established in 1989, Fencing Academy of Philadelphia is the leading fencing club in the Delaware Valley, known throughout the international fencing community for its world-class coaching, athletes, and sportsmanship. In addition to nurturing a passionate team of fencers and teaching coaches, Maître d’Armes Mark Masters and Program Director Coach Lara Masters have developed world champions in foil, épée and saber, and Junior World team fencers in all three weapons. Maia’s win makes her the fourth Masters-taught world champion.