Princeton University Athletics
Holmes Qualifies for 2016 Olympic Fencing Competition
March 19, 2016 | Women's Fencing
Katharine Holmes, who put her Princeton fencing career on hold to train for a spot in the 2016 Olympic Games, has realized her dream.
U.S. Fencing announced Saturday that Holmes had earned enough points with her finish at the Budapest Grand Prix to clinch a spot both on the U.S. women's épée team and in the individual épée competition at the Olympics in Brazil. The fencing competition will run from August 6-14 in Rio de Janeiro. The qualification period began last April, and the points earned in Budapest put Holmes over the top.
Holmes began her Princeton fencing career in the 2011-12 season and took bronze in the NCAA épée competition as a freshman before helping Princeton to the combined team title the following year and finishing fifth individually. Holmes earned a third All-America honor with a seventh-place finish in 2014 and will have one year remaining with the Tigers when she returns to the team.
With Holmes' inclusion, Princeton has a chance at seeing a Tiger fencer earn a medal at back-to-back Olympic Games. Susannah Scanlan '14 won a bronze medal with the U.S. women's épée team four years ago in London.