Anika Breker, a skilled foil fencer from Barrington, achieved a top-eight finish at the 2019 Junior Olympic National Fencing Championships held in Denver, Colo., Feb. 15-18.  

This year’s Junior Olympics attracted more than 2,000 fencers from 44 states who competed in junior (athletes aged 20 years old and under), cadet (athletes aged 17 years old and under) and junior team events in all three fencing weapons: foil, epee, and sabre.  

At the Junior Olympics, Anika represented the East Providence-based Rhode Island Fencing Academy & Club in three events: junior women’s foil, cadet women’s foil, and junior women’s foil team.  

Anika faced a significant challenge in the junior women’s foil competition. With three pool wins and two losses, she emerged from this preliminary round ranked 104 of 239 total athletes. Promoted to the direct elimination bouts, Anika beat consecutively four fencers more highly placed than she, moving up in the tableau from the round of 256 to the round of 8, before running into the fencer ranked first after pools.  

Despite a determined effort, she could not displace her last opponent. After an admirable fight, Anika finished eighth, collecting national points, an eighth place medal, and a renewed national rating of “A,” the highest available from the United States Fencing Association.  

In cadet women’s foil, Anika placed 23rd of 229 fencers. In the team event, Anika and three RIFAC teammates finished just outside medal contention. 

Anika is an aggressive, yet controlled foil fencer who recently returned from her first international cadet world competition in Rome, Italy. 

Of all the RIFAC athletes who attended Junior Olympics, Anika was the only fencer to earn a medal. 

Her coaches said Anika has worked tirelessly to sharpen her skills, and the results of her efforts were evident in Colorado. 

The Junior Olympics is a prestigious competition which requires pre-qualification to obtain a coveted entrance registration. Besides its reputation for high level competition, the tournament functions as the last domestic opportunity for fencers to score national points prior to the selection of the 2019 American junior and cadet world teams.