DETROIT -- Mahmoud Elsayed (Tanta, Gharbia, Egypt) and Anabella Acurero Gonzalez (Valencia, Venezuela) of the Wayne State University men's and women's fencing squads, respectively both saw action in international competitions.  Elsayed competed at the Vancouver World Cup in Richmond, British Columbia, while Acurero Gonzalez fenced at the Bolivarian Games in Lima, Peru.

Last month, in Bahrain, (November 22, 2025) Elsayed was recognized by the FIE Congress as the world junior No. 1 epeeist.  The WSU student-athlete totaled 159 points during the 2024-25 season and earned a pair of Gold Medals at the African Zonal Championship and Wuxi (China) World Championship, along with a Bronze Medal at the Lagos Junior World Cup.  Now competing in the Senior division, Elsayed is the No. 19-ranked men's epeeist according to the International Fencing Federation (FIE).



L to R: Dr. Sayed Samy (Mahmoud's father / coach), Mahmoud Elsayed, Donald Anthony, Jr. (FIE Vice President / head fencing coach at The Ohio State University), Andy Tulleners.

At the Vancouver World Cup, Elsayed entered as the No. 16-ranked epeeist, earning an exemption from pool play and a bye until the table of 64.  The Warrior fell 15-11 to Canada's Simon Shan in the table of 64, and finished 36th out of 272 athletes.

Elsayed competed in the team portion of the event with Egypt, winning one-of-three bouts in the squad's 45-32 loss to Denmark.

In Lima, Peru, Acurero Gonzalez collected a 4-1 ledger in pool play during the Bolivarian Games and notched a +12 touch differential (24-12).  The sophomore was the top seed heading into direct elimination, earning a bye in the table of 16.  In the table of eight, the WSU student-athlete topped No. 8-seeded Kusi Naila Rosales Vargas 11-7, before besting international teammate Isis Gimenez Suarez (4th seed) 15-8 in the semifinals.  She fell 15-5 in the finals bout to second-seeded Arantza Antonia Inostroza Gaete.

The foilist qualified for the Central American Games, South American Games, and the Pan American Championship in 2026.  The Pan American Championship serves as a qualifier for the 2027 Pan American Games, which can assist with Olympic qualifications.

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The Wayne State fencing teams will return to action on Saturday, January 31, at the Northwestern hosted Schiller Duals.