Curitiba, Brazil (Nov. 4-5, 2021) — Marcus Pinto is the U-11 Men’s Saber champion in Brazil.
The Y-12 saber fencer took it on the road to Brazil, competing in that country’s National Fencing Championships in Curitiba, Brazil. (Pinto and his family all hold dual US/Brazil citizenship).
Pinto competed on Thursday in the Under-11 men’s saber event and from the start, had an edge. He was undefeated until he met the current 2019 U-9 champion, Joaquim Pelucio. Pinto took the lead in their bout, but Pelucio edged him out 4-3 (pool bouts are to 4 in Brazil, DEs are to 11).
The two were ranked one and two out of pools and did not meet again until the final DE, where Pinto emerged triumphant. Coaches watching the bout said it was the of the highest technical level seen in U-11 in Brazil.
Pinto has been training at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club with Tim for two years and also with his coaches in Brazil at GNU Nautico Uniao.
“It was an honor to be able to compete in the Brazil Nationals,” Pinto said. “I have Tim, Teixeira (his coach in Brazil) and the other fantastic coaches from the US and Brazil to thank for this. I want to dedicate this win to both of my grandfathers who always participated in my activities either in person or from a distance. My Grandpa Zeca was here and my other grandpa, Luiz, was missing this because he passed away earlier this year.”
He is also dedicating the win to “my mom for always for pushing me and my sister to be competitive.”
Pinto went on to compete on Friday in the Under-13 championships and won silver.
Congratulations Marcus!!
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Tim Morehouse Fencing Club is the premier fencing club in the area, offering fencing lessons in Manhattan, Westchester (Port Chester), and Connecticut (Stamford). With instruction available in saber, foil, and epee fencing, TMFC has programs for all levels of experience and competition.