National Fencing Champion Kamali Thompson Now Ranked 3rd in U.S.

The Road to the 2020 Olympic Games

Olympic hopeful and national fencing champion Kamali Thompson is closer to her goal of competing in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo next summer after winning the bronze medal at the Salt Lake City North American Cup (NAC) on December 8, moving her ranking in the U.S to 3rd place.

“While this is an extremely exciting time and the highest ranking I have ever had in my career, the work is not finished yet,” said Thompson.

Salt Lake City hosted USA Fencing’s third North American Cup of the 2019-20 season in the Salt Palace Convention Center. Among the athletes that competed are those vying for a spot on the U.S. team along with veteran fencers ranging in age from 40 to their late 80’s.

Thompson also won a bronze medal with Team USA’s saber squad in the team event of the Salt Lake City World Cup on December 15, moving the team’s ranking to 5th in the world. The new ranking is particularly significant as only eight fencing teams in the world qualify for the Olympics. This win will help bring Team USA a step closer to qualifying to competing in the fencing competition.

Next for the team is a national competition in Charlotte, NC on Jan. 6, 2020. It will be followed by a Grand Prix (men and women’s world cup) in Montreal, Canada on January 11-12.

“We [Team USA] have half a season left and it is important to fence each competition as if it is my last,” said the two-time Bronze Medalist, as she prepares to compete in Charlotte, Grand Prix, and subsequent competitions and as her the road to the Olympics continues.

About Kamali Thompson

Thompson was recruited by the Temple University fencing team. During her four years as a Temple Owl, she went on to become a four-time NCAA Championship qualifier, a second team All-American, and the first four-time NIWFA conference champion. Her performance inside the classroom and on the fencing strip earned the title of Student Athlete of the Year at Temple University twice (2011, 2012). She graduated from Temple University with honors, earning a bachelor’s of science in biology and a minor in psychology. Post-graduation, Thompson matriculated into Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and began competing internationally for Team USA.

During the 2015-2016 Olympic qualifying year, she was a three-time national silver medalist. After a strenuous, yet rewarding season she finished 6th on the national point standings and won the 2016 National Championships.

Thompson is a member of the 2019 national team, completing research in the sports medicine division in the department of orthopedic surgery at NYU, and studying to become an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon. She is also a 2018-2019 author for Doximity and continues to fiercely train for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team.

For more information on Kamali Thompson, visit her website and social media at: https://kamalithompson.com

Instagram: @dr.mali.mallz

Twitter: @Kamali_Thompson

Facebook Athlete page: @KamaliThompsonUSA

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Tags: fencing, Kamali Thompson, Olympic Games, Team USA

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.