Fencing (Epee)

This is Kira’s favorite element. Currently, she trains five days a week at the ELITE Fencing Academy in Springfield, Virginia, with her coaches, all of whom have been Egyptian Olympians and National Team members, including Ayman Fayez, Amr Nazeir, and Nada Mostafa. During her earlier competitive years, Kira trained at The Fencing Center in San Jose, California, with Coaches Michael Botenhagen and Betsy Madrid.

Athletes fence every other competitor using electric epees, and this is the only discipline where competitors can influence another athlete’s score.

• Bouts are fenced for one hit and last a maximum of one minute. Depending on the number of competitors, the number of bouts fenced against each other may be increased to two, three, or even four hits.

• If neither fencer has scored a hit within the time limit, a double defeat will be recorded.

• The target area is the whole body, and hits are registered via an electronic tip at the end of the epee.

• Points are awarded based on the number of wins and losses during the competition, with 250 modern pentathlon points given for 70% victories.