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Posted: Thursday May 18, 2000 01:21 PM

Iris Zimmermann, U.S.   Destination:   2000 Sydney Olympics fencing competition Traveling from: Rochester, N.Y. Personal: Age: 19 Height: 5'7"   Zimmermann, who competes in women's foil, is the most successful American female fencer of all time. In 1995, she became the first U.S. fencer in history to win a world championship in any weapon or any age category, taking the World Under-17 Championships at her first major international event. In 1999, Zimmermann won the bronze at the Senior World Championships in Seoul, Korea, becoming the first American ever to medal at the competition. And this past April, she won her third gold medal at the Junior World Championships. En route to those finals, she defeated the Senior World Championships silver medalist. Achievements: 2000 Junior World Championships, gold (under-20) 1999 World Championships, tied for 3rd 1999 National Championships, 5th 1999 Junior World Championships, 8th (under-20) 1998 Didn't compete at many events because of a knee injury 1997 National Championships, gold 1997 Junior World Cup Champion (finished World Cup season ranked No. 1) 1997 Junior World Championships, gold (under-17); silver (under-20) 1996 National Championships, 3rd 1996 Junior World Championships, bronze (under-20) 1995 Junior World Championships, gold (under-17) 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival, gold Currently: Zimmermann, the top-ranked female American fencer in the foil, took up the sport at the age of 6 because her older sister, Felicia, now 24, was fencing. Iris has been competing about once a month so far this year. Her top finish was a bronze medal in April in Como, Italy. At that event, she defeated her sister to make it into the final round of four (Felicia finished 8th). Iris is a freshman at Stanford University. They Said It? "Fencing is my life. Fencing has made me who I am today. It has shaped my very existence. Without fencing I feel like I am without a family, sort of lost. It's everything about fencing and everything that I do for fencing that make up who I am, how I think. It most definitely rules my life." --Iris Zimmermann

 

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