Monica Aksamit (born February 18, 1990) is an American Olympic
saber
A sabre ( French: sabÊ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...
fencer. She represented the United States at the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos OlĂmpicos de VerĂŁo de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI OlimpĂada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
, earning a
bronze medal
A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...
in the
Women's Saber Team competition. She won a
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
with Team USA at the
2019 Pan American Games
The 2019 Pan American Games ( es, Juegos Panamericanos de 2019, links=no), officially the XVIII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Lima 2019 Pan-Am Games or Lima 2019 ( qu, Limaq 2019), were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Spo ...
. In 2022, she was a contestant on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
âs dating and relationship
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series revival, ''
Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer''.
Early life
Aksamit was born in New York City, lived in
Matawan, New Jersey
Matawan is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A historic community located near the Raritan Bay in the much larger Raritan Valley region, the borough is a commuter town of New York City within the New York Metropol ...
and
Morganville, New Jersey
Morganville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) within Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey.[Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...]
.
Her mother (Marzena Kaminska) and father (Peter Aksamit), both of whom immigrated to the United States from Poland, divorced when she was nine years old, after which her mother raised her, and she has a half-sister, Olivia.
All of her family other than her immediate family lives in Poland.
Her parents sent her to live with her grandparents in Poland when she was one and half years old, and she spent some of her younger years living in Poland with her grandparents, while attending pre-school there.
She returned to the United States for kindergarten, and later attended public elementary and middle schools in Matawan.
She then attended
Matawan Regional High School
Matawan Regional High School is a four-year regional public high school located in Aberdeen Township, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District ...
.
Aksamit then attended
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
('12) on a full fencing scholarship, majoring in
kinesiology
Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health ...
.
She left before graduating, but went back to finish her degree.
She taught fencing at
Brookdale Community College
Brookdale Community College is a public community college in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, ...
and teaches fencing at
St. John Vianney High School in
Holmdel, New Jersey
Holmdel Township (usually shortened to Holmdel) is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region, being within the regional and cultural influence of the Raritan Baysh ...
.
Fencing career
Early years
Aksamit started fencing when she was nine years old.
She began fencing at the Polish-American Fencing School in
Linden, New Jersey
Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill ...
, under Janusz Mlynek, who coached her in Polish.
As she describes her introduction to the sport:
"They handed me a sword. They said, 'Hit the other kid'. I did. Everybody clapped and cheered. I was like, 'I don't understand what's going on. But, okay. This seems like a great time.'"
Her fencing club since she was 15 years old is the
Manhattan Fencing Center
The Manhattan Fencing Center in Manhattan, New York City, was founded in 2007 by Yury Gelman. It is the home to the Olympic silver medal saber team (Beijing), three top 8 finishers in the 2012 London Olympics, a number of members of the U.S. Natio ...
in
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...
, and her coach is
Yury Gelman
Yury Gelman (born October 13, 1955) is a Ukrainian-born American five-time Olympic fencing coach for the United States (Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, and Rio 2016), National Men's Sabre Coach, and Head Fencing Coach for 2001 NCAA champion St. ...
, with whom she has worked since she began training at the club.
During her college fencing career as a
Penn State Nittany Lion, Aksamit won two
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Team Championships and was the runner-up NCAA Champion in women's saber in 2012.
She was a three-time
All-American.
International competitions
Aksamit began representing the United States, for the
United States Fencing Association
The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded on April 22, 1891, as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of 20 New York City fen ...
. She won a team
silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...
at the 2008
Junior World Fencing Championships
The World Cadets and Juniors Fencing Championships are an annual international fencing competition held by the International Fencing Federation.
History
Junior World Fencing Championships for athletes up to 20 years old. Also at the same time and ...
in
Acireale
Acireale (; scn, Jaciriali, locally shortened to ''Jaci'' or ''Aci'') is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the north-east of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. ...
, Italy, at 18 years of age.
She was ranked 12th in the world among juniors, and 16th in the world among seniors, in the 2008-09 season.
In 2009, she won a team
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
and an individual
bronze medal
A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...
at the
Pan American Fencing Championships
The Pan American Fencing Championships ( es, link=no, Campeonato Panamericano de Esgrima; french: link=no, Championnats Panaméricains) are an annual top-level fencing tournament organized by the Pan American Fencing Confederation. They serve as zo ...
in
San Salvador, El Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital ...
.
In 2012, she underwent knee surgery after competing in the NCAA finals.
She helped Team USA win the team gold medal at the
2016 Pan American Fencing Championships The 2016 Pan American Fencing Championships were being held at the Convention Center Vasco Nuñez de Balboa in Panama City from 21 to 26 June 2016. The event was organized by the Pan American Fencing Confederation and the National Fencing Associatio ...
in
Panama City, Panama
Panama City ( es, Ciudad de PanamĂĄ, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or PanamĂĄ in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
.
As the reserve member of Team USA, Aksamit won a bronze medal representing the
United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics
The United States, represented by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from August 5 to 21, 2016. U.S. athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympics of the modern era, with the exc ...
in the
Women's Saber Team competition, in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after SĂŁo Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
.
She was subbed in the bronze medal match against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
She had fractured a
vertebrae
The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic i ...
in her back training for the Olympics, so she had to wear a back brace to compete in the Games.
The following year, Aksamit won a silver medal with Team USA at the
2017 Pan American Fencing Championships The 2017 Pan American Fencing Championships is held at the Centre Pierre-Charbonneau in Montreal from 13 to 18 June 2017. The event was organized by the Pan American Fencing Confederation and Canadian Fencing Federation.
Medal summary Men's events ...
in
Montreal, Canada
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
. Two years later, she again won a gold medal with Team USA, this time at the
2019 Pan American Games
The 2019 Pan American Games ( es, Juegos Panamericanos de 2019, links=no), officially the XVIII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Lima 2019 Pan-Am Games or Lima 2019 ( qu, Limaq 2019), were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Spo ...
in
Lima, Peru
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the ChillĂłn River, ChillĂłn, RĂmac River, RĂmac and LurĂn Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
. In 2019, strapped for cash as she trained in an effort to again make Team USA for the Olympics, in order to make ends meet she lived with her mother in New Jersey, and worked a number of jobs in between training sessions.
She also launched a
GoFundMe
GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the b ...
campaign in September 2019 to cover her training and travel expenses, which raised over $30,000.
The
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
gave her a stipend of $300 a month.
She narrowly missed qualifying for Team USA for the
Tokyo Olympic Games Tokyo Olympics may refer to:
* 1940 Summer Olympics
* 1964 Summer Olympics
* 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021)
See also
* Tokyo bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics
* Tokyo Paralympics (disambiguation)
{{disambiguation ...
.
Outside of fencing
In 2022, it was announced that she would be a contestant on
Fox Broadcasting Company
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
âs ''
Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer'', an American dating and relationship
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series revival, featuring 18 women competing for two bachelors, one of whom is secretly a millionaire.
She hesitated about accepting appearing on the show, but thought: "Well, love hasnât really worked out for me. And I donât know anybody who finds love on dating apps. I feel like I am digging through trash to find the one diamond."
In 2022, she was signed with
Ford Models
Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford.
Company
Ford Models was started in 1946 by Eileen ...
, and had 100,000
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
followers.
See also
*
List of Olympic women medalists in fencing
*
List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians
The List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians is a list of former or current Penn State students (129) and coaches/faculty members (12) that have made an appearance as athletes or medaled at the Olympic Games, plus one athlete for the boycott ...
References
External links
Monica Aksamiton Instagram
*Monica Aksamit
" On the Fence with Monica Aksamit,"podcast.
"The Iso: Monica Aksamit; Fencing,"''
The Players Tribune
''The Players' Tribune'' is a new media platform that produces daily sports conversation and publishes first-person stories from professional athletes. The platform was founded by former professional Major League Baseball player Derek Jeter in ...
'', March 26, 2020
"Monica Aksamit on fighting financial problems, a fractured back, and why she never gives up; The Olympic bronze medal-winning fencer from USA, who won gold at the 2019 Pan Am Games, joined the Olympic Channel Podcast for an in-depth interview,"''Olympic Channel Podcast'', November 5, 2020.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aksamit, Monica
1990 births
Living people
American female sabre fencers
American people of Polish descent
Brookdale Community College faculty
Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Fencers at the 2019 Pan American Games
Matawan Regional High School alumni
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in fencing
Participants in American reality television series
Penn State Nittany Lions fencers
Sportspeople from Brooklyn
People from Matawan, New Jersey
People from Marlboro Township, New Jersey
Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey
Pan American Games medalists in fencing
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
21st-century American women