Tokyo Olympics: Hamza Advances to Foil Quarterfinals, Stone '13 Makes Games Debut

Making his debut in the Olympic Games' individual fencing competition, Princeton rising junior Mohamed Hamza extended his run all the way to the quarterfinals against the world's top foil fencers in Tokyo.

Seeded 22nd, Hamza, competing for Egypt, opened against 11th-seeded Briton Marcus Mepstead in the round of 32. Though Mepstead had the first three touches of the bout, Hamza answered with the next four and the fencers were never more than two touches apart the rest of the way. Hamza trailed 12-10 with 2:03 to go in the third period before tying it with two touches in six seconds, and after Mepstead had the next touch for what turned out to be the British fencer's final of the match, Hamza ended it with three in a row for a 15-13 final with 1:26 left in the third.

Hamza's round-of-16 match didn't last the full first period, and for much of the bout, it wasn't trending Hamza's way. Sixth-seeded Andrea Cassara of Italy had the first three touches and six of the first seven on the way to a 6-1 lead. Cassara led by as many as six touches, at 10-4 and again at 13-7, before Hamza rallied with eight touches in a row to go from two touches away from defeat to a bid to the quarterfinals with a 15-13 win.

Hamza's quarterfinal against 19th-seeded Alexander Choupenitch of the Czech Republic also started out with his opponent getting out to an early lead, and this time, the opponent held off a Hamza rally. Choupenitch had the first two touches of the bout and led the rest of the way, seeing Hamza pull within two as late as 9-7 before widening the lead on the way to a 15-9 win that needed only the opening period.

Eliza Stone '13 was making her Olympics debut, taking on Azerbaijan's Anna Bashta in the round of 32 of the individual saber competition, and Bashta took the match 15-9. Bashta had the first three touches, but Stone was within two touches as late as 9-7 before Bashta ended the rally there.

Hamza's and Stone's results were the last for Tiger fencers in the individual stage of the competition. The team stage will begin on Monday at 10:25 p.m. ET with Katharine Holmes '17, and Anna Van Brummen '17 as the replacement athlete, competing for fifth-seeded Team USA in the team épée event. The Americans, seeded fifth, will start in the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded South Korea.

Stone will return with the American saber fencers on Friday night ET, and Hamza and the Egyptian foil fencers will compete on Saturday night ET.

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