Emily Cross
Born: October 15, 1986, in Seattle, Wash.
Current Residence: New York, NY
Ethnicity: Hapa Korean
Height: 5’5″
Weight: 120 lbs
Event: Individual foil, team foil
Interesting tidbit: Emily Cross is known to make screaming sounds as a way of releasing tension during matches.
Top-ranked female foil fencer Emily Cross began fencing with her dad as a father-daughter activity when she was nine years old. She stayed with it, deciding that it offered a good middle ground between the lightning-quick pace of sabre and the more methodical pace of epée.
The 2005 and 2006 junior world champion, Cross has made significant strides at the senior level, recently reaching the final eight at the World Cup event in Las Vegas. Cross, who is coached by Michael Petin, is currently ranked #11 in the world and will be making her first Olympic appearance in Beijing. After the Olympics, Cross will return to Harvard to finish her degree.
Career highlights:
2008
* Gold – Pan American Championships
2006
* Gold – 2006 Junior Championships – Individual Foil
* Bronze – National Collegiate Athletics Association
2005
* Gold – Trofeo Federico II – Women’s Foil World Cup
* Gold – 2005 Junior Championships – Individual Foil
* First-Team All-American – Harvard University
* Rookie of the Year – Harvard University
2001
* Bronze – World Fencing Championships
Gerek Meinhardt,
Born: July 27, 1990 in San Francisco, Calif.
Current Residence: San Francisco, Calif.
Ethnicity: Chinese
Height: 5’11”
Did you know? Gerek achieved one of the highest SATs score among the freshman class of fencing recruits at Notre Dame University, where he will enroll in the fall after the Beijing Games.
A born and raised San Franciscan, Gerek Meinhardt is the only member of the men’s Team USA fencing team to qualify for the foil event at the Beijing Games. He began the play the sport at the tender age of 9 and quickly flourished. He entered his first competition at the age of 10. Since then, he has been ranked in number one in five different age groups, which range from 12 years old to senior level. At 16, he became the youngest men’s foil champion in the history of U.S. fencing at 2007 Summer Nationals. Moreover, he was the first fencer to earn a spot on the men’s U.S. senior, junior (U-20) and cadet (U-17) national teams in the same season. As of April 2008, Meinhardt is ranked 16th in the seniors and 2nd in the juniors. He will enroll at Notre Dame University in the fall.
Career Highlights:
Only male American to qualify for the men’s foil event
2008 Ranked 16th at the senior level and 2nd at the junior level
2007 Youngest U.S. champion at Summer Nationals
First male fencer to be a member of the U.S. senior, junior and cadet national teams in the same season
Ranked first in five different age groups
