By Liz Leamy
Marcus Pinto, the talented 13 year-old Riverside fencer, triumphantly qualified for the 2023 Youth Pan American Championships to be held in Montevideo, Uruguay this August due to a stellar bronze-medal finish at the U.S.A. Fencing Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona conducted last month.
Facing off against a formidable field of 216 contenders who comprised the Youth-12 Men’s Saber division, Pinto pulled off this podium-placement finish with a stunning comeback after having been down 11-14, winning the quarter finals 15×14 against one of the gold-medal favorites in this category, which was comprised of athletes from states all around the U.S., including New York, California, Nevada, Florida, Texas and Ohio.
Pinto, who trains at the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in Port Chester, New York, pulled off this medal-worthy finish as the result of demonstrating a slew of stealth fencing skills with both command and confidence, especially toward the end of the competition.
For Pinto, the main goal was to do his best.
“There was a point during the tournament when I just relaxed and fenced,” said Pinto, who will be entering the eighth grade at Eastern Middle School in Riverside this September. “I didn’t think ahead and just kept my head on during each bout.”
Clearly, Pinto has reached this impressive juncture of his competitive fencing career due to his tremendous level of dedication and commitment for the sport.
“I love the thrill of fencing and it is so much fun,” said Pinto. “I look forward not only to competitions, but also to being in practice with my friends and coaches.”
Pinto, who only began pursuing fencing a few years ago at age 10, has also managed to evolve into into one of the country’s premier fencers in an astonishingly short period of time due to his tremendous practice ethic as well.
For the past few years, Pinto has been consistently training three hours daily, four days a week at the esteemed Tim Morehouse Fencing Club where he is coached by Tim Morehouse, the three-time U.S. Olympian and 2008 U.S. Olympic silver Saber team medalist and his coaching staff.
At this state-of-the-art facility, Pinto, in tandem with Morehouse and his talented team of coaches work together to help develop and strengthen his skills so that he will be at his best going into national and (now) international fencing tournaments.
“I have to thank my coach Tim Morehouse and all of the coaches that work with me for everything they have taught me so far,” said Pinto. “Coach Tim works very hard with all the students and has assembled the best coaching staff in the country. Everyday we learn from Olympians and World medalists.”
Pinto certainly seems to be familiar with this level of athlete, as his mother, Bibiana is a renowned former world-class Rhythmic Gymnast and owner and Director of H.O.P.E., the nationally ranked area-based Rhythmic Gymnastics organization, while his father, Augusto, who only started fencing a few years ago, has qualified, like his son, to compete at the 2023 Pan American Championships in the Veteran’s category.
At the same time, Pinto’s 11-year old sister, Amanda, who is slated to start the sixth grade at Eastern Middle School this September, is a top-tier member of the H.O.P.E. Rhythmic Gymnastics team and had medaled with her group at the 2023 U.S.A. Developmental Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Palm Beach, Florida last June.
Ultimately, the biggest victory for Pinto in regard his experience with fencing so far has been the fact that he has garnered so much confidence and strength from pursuing it on such an intensive, consistent and developmental basis.
“Marcus loves fencing. It gives him a strong sense of identity, strength and purpose,” said Bibiana Pinto, whose accomplished H.O.P.E. athletes and team clinched several medals at the 2023 U.S. Developmental Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships this past year. “It has been great to see him enjoy this sport so much and have such a focus and love for it. This is an experience that will benefit him in many ways for many years to come.”
Finally, Pinto, who has dual U.S. and Brazilian citizenships due to the fact that Brazil is both his mother and father’s country of origin, is ranked as the number-one ranked fencer in that country in the U13 and U15 categories, something that is also quite impressive.
“After two years of competing, I am very proud to have represented my parent’s home country of Brazil last year and now the U.S. in international competitions,” said Pinto. “I look forward to what the years ahead will bring.”
Certainly, Pinto seems to have embraced fencing in a profound way, as this sport seems to have become more than just about doing well at competitions, but also about the joy of just doing it, something his family, friends and so many of those in the community are excited about as they continue to watch, support and celebrate his accomplishments in this field.
