When and where did you begin this sport?

She began fencing when she was a junior high school student.

Why this sport?

She was invited to join a fencing club after a coach watched her do the long jump during a physical education class.

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began fencing at age seven.

Club / Team

Budapesti Honved Sportegyesulet [BHSE]: Hungary

When and where did you begin this sport?

She began fencing at age six after seeing her father fence at a local competition. "My siblings and I thought the sport was strange and interesting-appearing, so my dad started teaching us the basics in our empty dining room and taking us to a club twice a week that was 1.5 hours away from where we lived."

Why this sport?

She and her brother and sister followed their father, Steve Kiefer, into the sport. "Growing up my dad decided that he wanted to take up fencing again. He hadn't picked up a foil in 10 or 15 years, and me and my siblings watched him compete at a local tournament. Then he asked if we wanted to try it, and we said yes. Twenty years later I'm still doing it."

When and where did you begin this sport?

He took up the sport in the fourth grade at primary school.

Why this sport?

"My parents were both basketball players, so it was only natural I followed in their footsteps during my early years. All the basketball classes were suspended during the long holidays when I was probably in primary four. My father asked if I would be interested in taking a fencing course so that I could get some exercise and kill some time during the break. I thought about it for a while before saying yes."

When and where did you begin this sport?

She began fencing at age seven at the Sabre au Clair club in Lyon, France. Her potential was soon noticed by the national training hub [Pole Espoir] in Orleans, France, which led to her joining the Cercle d'Escrime Orleanais club and eventually the National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance [INSEP] in Paris, France.

Why this sport?

"I was doing taekwondo and dancing but I didn't enjoy them. A friend of mine then suggested I try fencing. What attracted me at first - and it's kind of funny - was the sort of disguise you get to wear. I was the only girl at the fencing club, and I loved it."

When and where did you begin this sport?

He first tried fencing while he was in primary school. He took up the sport competitively in 2009 at Maebong Middle School in Daejeon, Republic of Korea.

Why this sport?

He was encouraged by his older brother. His parents initially did not want him to get involved in the sport but they were persuaded to let him pursue it after coach Park Jong-Han identified his talent.