By Amalia Wompa
At just 17 years old, Rye fencing prodigy Ella Calise is already a seasoned veteran at international competitions.
But when it comes to youth fencing, no stage is bigger than the one Calise competed on in April’s FIE Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships.
Not only did the Sacred Heart Greenwich sophomore come home with two medals against the world’s most promising young fencers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she also held her own competing against an older age group.
In her final month as a 16-year-old, Calise won bronze in the cadet women’s foil, for U17 fencers. Perhaps even more impressive than her third-place finish against similar-aged competitors, she also went toe-to-toe with fencers as old as 20 in the junior division, where she took fifth.
To conclude her week in Brazil, Calise competed as a member of the junior women’s foil team, helping the United States secure bronze.
“I knew there were many strong fencers, but I tried to do my best, and I had a lot of support throughout the tournament,” she said. “I really enjoyed being part of the team and representing my country.”
Although she’s still just a high schooler, Calise already has more than a decade of experience as a fencer. Her mom Andrea recalls bringing her to a fencing club for the first time when she was 5 years old. Coaches suggested she come back in a year after gaining more strength — she listened.
“She really took off. Everything just clicked,” Andrea said, noting that Ella being left-handed also provides an advantage, as studies on fencing have long speculated.
Calise describes her fencing style as consistent, aggressive, and focused, a combination that has contributed to an impressive 83-11 record across 17 major competitions in the 2025–26 season, according to FencingTracker.com.
If there were any nerves entering her first world championship, it didn’t show. Against older opponents in junior women’s foil, she won five of her six pool-play matches, with the only loss coming by a single touch. She then won her first two matches in the bracket by 15-1 scores, then beat her next two opponents 15-8 and 15-9, before falling to Minchae Shin, of South Korea, 15-8, in the quarterfinals.
In the next day’s cadet bracket, she fared even better. The most suspenseful match came in the round of 32 against Martina Molteni, the tournament’s No. 4 seed. With the score tied at 14-14, the winner would be determined by the final point. Calise emerged victorious in the back-and-forth battle, jabbing her Italian opponent, then immediately doing a 180, letting out a guttural scream and pumping her fists.
After allowing herself a few brief seconds of celebration, she turned around and shook her opponent’s and coaches’ hands. Following the 15-14 nail-biter, Calise advanced to the final four with ease, beating a French fencer 15-8 in the round of 16, then a Canadian 15-6 in the quarterfinals.
“I tried not to get in my head about having a clear path to a medal,” Calise said.
Despite falling to a fellow American, No. 1 seed Jaelyn Liu, in the semifinals, the Rye native earned a spot on the podium, solidifying her standing as one of the world’s elite fencers for athletes 17 and under.
After medaling as an individual, Calise competed for the top-seeded United States junior women’s foil team. While the Americans finished third as a team, Calise won all six of her individual matches against opponents from Argentina and Australia.
One of Calise’s coaches, two-time Olympic fencer Mohamed Essam, praised her ability to keep calm during tough bouts.
“Coaching Ella is a privilege,” he said. “Her success in Brazil is a testament to her incredible discipline and unique ability to stay composed under elite-level pressure. Seeing her translate that focus into success on the international stage is exactly what we strive for as coaches.”
Calise trains at the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in Port Chester, which sent 11 athletes to the championships this year; Calise returned as the first individual cadet medalist in club history.
When she was younger, Calise remembers dabbling in other activities like tae kwon do, soccer, and even the cello, but she took to fencing the most. Outside of sports, Calise spends as much time as she can with her family and friends, which can be challenging with a packed routine of school combined with private coaching and fencing practice six to seven times a week.
“I really hope to fence at the NCAA collegiate level and continue competing in international World Cup and World Championship events,” Calise said.
Nearing the halfway point of high school, a college decision will soon come into focus, as recruiters will begin scouting for the Class of 2032 as early as this summer.
Calise will remain plenty busy before then. Less than a month after her success in Brazil, she was off to Istanbul, where she competed in the FIE Senior Foil World Cup, one of the highest levels of competitive fencing outside of the Olympics. She finished fifth among all junior Americans, and in the top 25 among all juniors worldwide.
“It’s a joy to watch her represent the U.S. so brilliantly,” Essam said. “Her journey is just beginning, and we are incredibly proud to be a part of it.
