Brother-sister duo collect medals in fencing

Sayid Achilov and Feyza Achilova, a brother and sister duo from South Dartmouth, collected top-eight medals at Summer Nationals, USA fencing’s final, major tournament of the sport season.

The pair represented Rhode Island Fencing Academy & Club.

The event, which was held July 3 to 12 in Philadelphia, drew nearly 4,000 fencers who competed in 18 team and 82 individual events.

Events were organized by gender, age group, and ability level based on fencers’ current national ratings granted by the United States Fencing Association (USFA) which range from a high of “A” to “E.”

Feyza Achilova scored impressive results in Division II women’s foil (for fencers with a national rating of “C” or under.) She swept every bout in her pool, securing first place going into the elimination round. 

She had an initial bye before cruising through her respective seeding until the round of eight, when she lost her bid for a bronze by one point.  

Achilova finished fifth of 125 fencers and renewed her “C” rating for 2021. 

Achilov competed in DIV III Men’s Foil (for fencers holding a national rating of “D” or under). In pools, he also won every bout, finishing ninth after this round. Sayid fought hard to win his first round with a close 15-14 point victory.  

He fairly sailed through several more rounds until he was stopped at the round of eight. He finished on the podium with a sixth place medal. 

Achilov and Achilova train at the club’s East Providence facility. Rhode Island Fencing Academy & Club programs and head coach, Alex Ripa, have both been recognized nationally for excellence in performance and athlete development.