With Jessica Guo on the roster, Team Canada’s women’s foil fencing team has high hopes for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The team is currently ranked fifth in the world and contributes to Team Canada’s standing as having one of its largest Olympic fencing teams since 1988. Here is what you need to know:
Hometown: Toronto
Sport: Fencing
Background: Guo competed in her first senior World Cup event in 2018, finishing 21st overall at just 13 years old. 2019 was a big year for Guo as she won silver medals in individual and team foils at the Pan American Championships. This led up to another double silver win at the Pan Am Games in Lima. She competed at her first FIE World Championships where she finished 13th in individual foil, aiding Canada in placing sixth in team foil.
In 2021, Guo secured bronze in junior individual foil at the World Championships, shortly before making her debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. There, she reached the table of 16 in individual foil, which helped Canada finish fifth overall in team foil.
Guo won two more medals at the 2022 Pan American Championships, earning bronze in individual foil and gold in women’s team foil. The following year, she repeated as an individual foil bronze medallist and team foil gold medallist at the 2023 Pan American Championships. Guo also earned individual foil bronze and team foil silver medals at the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games. At the end of the year, she earned her first podium at an FIE World Cup event in Serbia, where she placed third in individual foil.
This January, Guo won bronze in her second World Cup in Paris, going on to earn the title of world junior champion in women’s individual foil in April. While representing Harvard University, she won the women’s individual foil event at the 2024 NCAA Fencing Championship.
In April, Guo won gold in individual women’s foil at the 2024 FIE Junior World Championships.
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Career highlights: At age 15, Guo was crowned the 2021 world champion at the cadet level in individual foil. She won her second straight world title in 2022.
At the 2022 Senior World Championships Guo posted her career-best results, placing 11th in individual foil and fifth in women’s team foil.
As of 2024, Jessica Guo is currently world ranked in the top 10 in women’s individual foil.
Where it all started: Guo began fencing at the age of seven and began competing when she turned nine. She has always been intrigued by fencing tactics and making predictions about an opponent’s next move.
Fun fact: Guo wears a bracelet she believes to be good luck because the charms were gifted to her by family and friends. She also likes to collect new charms during her travels.
Olympic event dates: Women’s foil individual (July 28) and women’s foil team (Aug. 1).
Social media: Instagram
We’ll be profiling more athletes ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics; refer here for more coverage.