Jason Meng has been fencing since he was nine years old and according to his coach practices five hours a day. With his rigorous schedule and hard work you may think winning comes easy to the freshman, but even he admits he didn’t expect to finish so high at the Junior Olympic Fencing Championships. Meng said, “I aimed lower. I aimed to get in the top 32 so I could get points. I worked my hardest though and really surprised myself by finishing 6th.” By finishing 6th Meng, at only 14 years old, became the youngest Saber Fencer in the nation to earn an A ranking, which is the highest a fencer can attain. When asked how it felt to be the youngest A ranked fencer Meng said, “It feels great. I still can’t digest the fact and I never expected to get an A ranking this early. It feels great knowing I accomplished something.” Fencing coach, Coach Mohamed Elsakhawy, says Meng is so successful because, “He works so hard. He practices 5 hours a day and is committed and an A student.” For Meng the work doesn’t stop here though. Meng now has his sights set for the Fencing World Cups in Europe which only the top 12 in the nation can qualify for. Though winning the World Cups would be an awesome accomplishment, if I were you I’d watch out for his name in the 2018 Olympics because this young Jesuit star is going places.
