By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Kristina Khaw didn’t go to Dallas expecting to come home a national champion.
But that’s just what happened when the Plainsboro resident went to the USA Fencing National Championships and came back with the Division II Women’s Epee title.
“It was surprising, especially since I was only seeded seventh before the tournament,” said Khaw, who will be a junior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High North. “So I was not expecting much. The support of my coaches who helped me focus and calm down helped me a lot. They really helped me when I got nervous so I could stay focused.”
Khaw defeated her Medeo Fencing Club teammate, Vivian Zhao, to win the championship. The bronze medal went to Tianna Kwok, who is a teammate of Khaw’s at WW-P North.
“We had to fence the final against each other and it was really strange because we always fence each other in practice and then we were fencing each other in the final,” Khaw said of facing Zhao in the final. “Because we were fencing each other we had no coaches. They didn’t coach us because they stayed neutral. She was from my club and I had fenced my high school teammate, Tianna Kwok, and she got the bronze medal.”
Khaw started fencing in eighth grade, following in the footsteps of her older sister Katie, who is now fencing at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I did it mostly because my sister did it,” the younger Khaw said. “When I tried all the weapons I decided I liked the epee more than sabre to my mom’s displeasure. She was used to sabre from my sister, which was the fastest weapon. Matches with epee take longer.”
Khaw is one of two national champions and 14 medalists overall from Medeo Fencing Club, which is based in Bridgewater. Because the club has always been so successful at the national level, Khaw doesn’t see herself changing in her own eyes or the eyes of her teammates now that she is a national champion.
“I think it will all be pretty much the same,” Khaw said. “I am really used to all the fencers winning stuff because every year people in my club do really well at nationals.“
And even after winning a national championship, Khaw doesn’t anticipate chance in her own approach to training.
“Fencing is pretty much a 12 month sport,” she said. “So I was practiced for thus a lot, especially the week before. I had three events before this and this was my last event of the summer. I am just practicing right now until around September when the competitions start picking up again.”
