UCSD Freshman Katherine Kim Wins Gold with Team USA at Junior World Cup

Team USA, including UC San Diego freshman Katherine Kim, won gold on Sunday in the FIE Foil Junior World Cup team competition with a 44-34 victory over Canada.

The result gives Kim her fifth gold medal in team competitions at the junior level, according to UCSD Athletics officials.

Held at Diamond Hall in Bangkok, the event included a team competition with 16 countries competing in a single elimination format.

The U.S. entered the weekend ranked No. 3 in the world. The team kicked off the tournament with a 45-13 victory over No. 43 India, followed by a 45-17 result versus No. 11 Singapore. In the semifinals, the Americans downed No. 4 Japan 35-25 before the 44-34 win over No. 17 Canada in the final.

Kim also competed in Saturday’s individual competition. She advanced out of her pool and won her first knockout bout 15-8 over fellow American Katerina Lung. Kim was then defeated in the next round by another American, Jia Chen, 15-13.

Bangkok is the second Junior World Cup that Kim has won a team gold at in 2024, having previously won in Leipzig this March. She also picked up two team golds in 2023 at the Junior Olympics and Lima Junior World Cup. In 2022, Kim earned her first team gold medal at the Junior Pan American Championships.

A native of Tustin, California, Kim is a human biology major at Sixth College. She first fenced with the Tritons in September at the 28th annual BladeRunner tournament, where she finished third. Kim then went 19-7 in November at the West Invitational as the UC San Diego women’s team finished 6-3.

The International Fencing Federation puts on a number of World Cups every year. The events help determine an athlete’s world ranking, which in turn is used to qualify individuals for the World Championship. This season’s World Championship will be held in April 2025 in Wuxi, China.