PARIS – The U.S. sent five fencers into individual foil competition on day seven of the Paralympic games. While the results weren’t what the squad hoped for, U.S. athletes hope to use it as a springboard to success in upcoming events. 

Ohio-based police officer Byron Branch started his day with one of the only wins for the USA, in the men’s foil category A table of 32. Thanks to a scheduling quirk, his first bout was against Garrett Schoonover, whom Branch has acted as a mentor to throughout practices. Branch won easily 15-2.

In the following two matches, less went his way. First, in the table of 16, Branch, ranked 17th in the world in Foil A, faced off against number two Emanuele Lambertini, who handled him 15-5. The bout started close; Lambertini led by just one nine hits in, but eventually, the Italian broke away, going on a 10-1 run to end the match.

Branch’s round one repechage matchup put him against Great Britain’s Oliver Lam Watson, whom the 40-year-old described as “my buddy Oli.” Throughout the bout with his buddy, Lam Watson kept Branch at a distance, maintaining at least a three-hit advantage for most of the match and winning 15-7, relegating Branch to a 15th-place finish in the table. The Brit was boisterous in his celebrations after his hits; Branch didn’t mind.

“I like to hear that because that means that I am hard to fence against. What you don’t want to hear is someone silent,” remarked Branch. “If they are letting loose that energy, it means there was an action they were really trying for; they got it, and they are letting that out. I would do the same thing.”

Ellen Geddes, the only fencer representing the U.S. with prior Paralympic experience, matched up with Ukraine’s Nadiia Doloh in the women’s foil category B table of 16. The Ukrainian, who won a European championship in the classification at this year’s European championships, jumped out to an early 6-0 lead.

A chant of “Let’s go Ellen” from the crowd seemed to spark Geddes, who rattled off three hits in a row to make it 6-3 and later went on a four-hit streak to take an 11-10 lead. It was Doloh, though, who rebounded and claimed the last five hits to advance to the quarterfinals. Geddes was visibly upset as she left the match but would get another shot in the repechage round.

After a first-round repechage bye, Geddes dueled with Georgian Irma Khetsuriani, whom she has been mcatched up against many times in the last decade. Khetsuriani dominated the match and advanced to the next round of repechage thanks to a 15-6 effort. Things didn’t feel quite right for Geddes during her 0-2 showing, but she’s looking forward to getting back on track.

“It was a tough day at the office, and I would have much preferred for things to go differently. I started the day out tight and in my head,” said Geddes. “We live to fight again. There’s three more days of competition, and we’ll see how it goes.”

After a first-round bye, New York native Victoria Isaacson battled Ioanela Andrea Mogos of Italy in the women’s foil category A table of 16 and was dominated, 15-0. Mogos, who medaled at team events in Tokyo and Rio, proved too much for the first-time Paralympian.

In repechage round one, Isaacson faced Hong Kong’s Pui Shan Fan and had a bit of a better result, falling by a score of 15-3. For the first-time participant, things were a bit overwhelming.

“I felt like I couldn’t focus or get myself to do what I needed to do,” uttered the 26-year-old. “I knew the solutions, but I felt like there was too much happening for me to make myself do it.”

U.S. military veteran Jataya Taylor made her debut on the Paralympic stage in the women’s foil category A table of 32. Taylor, who only learned of wheelchair fencing in 2022 and aimed to make her debut in 2028, had the USA’s only win of the day that wasn’t teammate-on-teammate. She defeated South Korean Gyeong Hye Baek 15-5, collecting the last five hits of the match.

Against Chui Yee Yu of Hong Kong, Taylor held her own but ultimately fell 15-10 to the fencer who made it to the bronze medal bout. The only bout where Taylor looked overmatched came against Ukraine’s Natalia Morkvych in round one of the repechage, a match she lost 15-1. The 38-year-old saw the day as a learning opportunity.

“It definitely showed me that I have a long way to go,” said the Coloradoan. “There are areas that are certainly lacking that I need to pick up.”

While it wasn’t the day any U.S. wheelchair fencers were aiming for, a chance for redemption comes soon. Day eight of the games features the team foil event, where the USA hopes to show improvement.