He’s a real saber rattler.
A teenage swordsman who trains in Coney Island won a silver medal in Fencing World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, last month.
Romain Cannone, a student at the New York Fencing Academy in Coney Island who competes for the French National team, took silver along with his fellow French swordsmen and women, who collectively finished second out of 35 countries in the international competition.
The medalist is no stranger to international competitions and said the air was electric in Tashkent.
“You could tell people were very aware of what was going on,” Cannone said in a press release. “When we turned on the TV at the hotel, there was a channel just for fencing.”
Cannone competed in the “epee” style of fencing — a high-stakes version of “foil” and “sabre” fencing where the entire body is a valid target and swordsmen have to hit harder to register a point, according to the United States Fencing Association.
The 17-year-old blademaster cut his teeth in the sport at age 8, and has won several titles, including a March win in the European Fencing Championships.
Cannone is ranked 49th out of 629 athletes, according to the press release.
