Three Local Houston Fencers Represent USA

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Three local Houston fencers will be representing the USA in the upcoming Junior World Championships next week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Only the top four Junior fencers in the country are chosen to represent the USA. The three Houston natives are also from the same fencing club, Alliance Fencing Academy.

Only the four highest-ranking fencers can qualify to represent the United States for the Junior (Under 20-year-old) World Championships. The World Championships are the highest level of international competition. Fencers chosen to represent the USA are selected based on cumulative points scored at national and international tournaments over the course of the fencing season from July 2025 through February 2026.

The competitors representing the USA from Alliance Fencing Academy are

• Elijah Imrek
• Hometown: Missouri City, Texas
• College: University of Notre Dame

• Simon Val Lioznyansky
• Hometown: The Woodlands, Texas
• College: University of Pennsylvania

• James Sennewald
• Hometown: Houston, Texas
• College: University of Notre Dame

Alliance Fencing coach Dorian Jimenez will coach the competitors. Jimenez learned to fence in Cuba and was a Junior National Cuban Champion and a Junior World Cup finalist. He joined Alliance Fencing Academy in 2016.

Alliance Fencing Academy has grown to over 350 students, making it one of the largest fencing clubs in the country. Alliance has three locations - one in downtown Houston, one in The Woodlands and one in Katy.

The competition for the Junior Men’s Epee event takes place on Tuesday April 7 and Wednesday, April 8. Competitions on both days begin at 9 a.m. BRT / 8 a.m. EDT. Rio time (BRT) is one hour earlier than eastern time (EDT). The action can be watched live from USFencing.org’s website: https://www.usafencing.org/2026-junior-cadet-fencing-world-championships.

Results of the competitions can also be found as they occur at the FIE (International Fencing Organization) website at: https://fie.org/competitions/2026/224



Sources/Reference:
https://www.usafencing.org/2026-junior-cadet-fencing-world-championships

https://fie.org/competitions/2026/224