Race Imboden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Race Imboden |
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Race Imboden in 2015
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Race Alick Reid Imboden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | April 17, 1993 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Fencing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weapon | Foil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hand | left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIE ranking | N/A current ranking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Race Alick Reid Imboden (born April 17, 1993) is an American fencer who uses a foil. He is left-handed. Race has won many awards, including nine team Pan American championships and six individual Pan American championships. He also became a team world champion in 2019. Race is a three-time Olympian and has won two Olympic bronze medals with his team. He competed in the Olympic Games in London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016), and Tokyo (2021).
Besides being a top fencer, Race Imboden also works as a fashion model.
Contents
About Race Imboden
His Early Life and Start in Fencing
Race Imboden was born in Tampa, Florida. His parents named him after a character called Race Bannon from the TV show Jonny Quest. When he was young, his family moved to Atlanta. Race first enjoyed sports like inline skating and BMX. An accident while inline skating left him with a crooked nose and a scar.
One day, while playing with a toy sword in a park, a stranger suggested to his parents that he try fencing. Soon after, his family moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York City.
Joining a Fencing Club
Race joined the Fencer's Club in Manhattan. There, he met Jed Dupree and Dan Kellner, who were both Olympic foil fencers in 2004. They helped him learn and grow as a fencer. Race also became good friends with his colleague Declan MacPherson.
Race went to the Dwight School, which supported his growing sports career. He first competed internationally at age 14. In 2010, he won a bronze medal at the cadet (under 17) world fencing championships.
College and Training
After finishing high school in 2011, Race decided to take a year off before college. He wanted to focus on his fencing training. He joined the Brooklyn Bridge Fencing Club in DUMBO, Brooklyn, with Dan Kellner as his coach. Later, he chose to attend St. John's University in New York. This was because it was close to his family and his coach.
Other Interests
Race Imboden also loves hip hop music. In 2012, he worked as an intern at an independent music label called Fool's Gold. In his free time, he enjoys being a DJ.
Race and French foil fencer Ysaora Thibus met after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. They started dating and later got engaged in Paris after the Tokyo Olympics.
Race Imboden's Fencing Career
Early Achievements
In 2010, Race joined the national cadet (under 17) team. He ended that year by winning the Cadet National Championship. A year later, he won an individual title at the Senior National Championship in Portland, Oregon. He also helped his team win titles at the Pan American Fencing Championships in 2011 and 2012.
At just 17, Race joined the senior national team for the 2011 World Fencing Championships in Catania. In his first big event, he reached the quarter-finals. He beat a three-time world champion, Peter Joppich, but then lost to France's Victor Sintès.
Olympic Games and World Cups
In the 2011–12 World Cup season, Race won a bronze medal in Paris. His strong international results helped him qualify for the US national team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The US team was ranked number one in the Americas. Race finished 9th in the individual event. In the team event, the US team beat France but lost to Italy, who won the gold medal. They then lost the bronze medal match to Germany.
In 2013, Race won his first World Cup title at the Copa Villa La Habana. This was the first time a US foil fencer had won a World Cup in 14 years! In June 2013, he won a silver medal at the Pan American fencing Championships in Cartagena. He lost in the final to his teammate Gerek Meinhardt. At the 2013 World Fencing Championships in Budapest, Race's team won the silver medal.
Becoming World No. 1
Race started the 2013–14 season with a silver medal at the World Combat Games. In April 2014, he won his second USA Division-1 National Championship. He also placed second in a competition in Seoul and third in another in Japan. Race finished the 2013–14 season ranked 10th in the world.
In the 2014–15 season, Race won a gold medal at the Prince Takamodo World Cup in Tokyo. He also won a bronze medal in Italy. In January 2015, he made history at the Challenge International de Paris. He became the first American to win the individual event. He then won a second gold medal with his team, beating Italy. Race also won a bronze medal in Cuba and a gold medal in France. Two weeks later, he won his third individual Pan American title in Chile.
Even though the 2015 World Championships in Moscow were tough, Race ended the season as World No. 1. He was the first American male fencer to win the overall World Cup title!
More Olympic Success
In the 2015–16 season, Race won two more gold medals at the Paris World Cup. This helped the United States team qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This meant three American fencers could compete individually. Even though Race was ranked No. 4 in the world, he qualified for the Olympics as an alternate for the team event.
At the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, Race and his teammates Gerek Meinhardt and Nick Itkin won gold medals for the US men's foil team. Race also helped the US team win their second bronze medal in a row at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
Speaking Out for Change
After winning a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru, Race Imboden knelt on one knee during the United States national anthem. His teammates stood. Race later explained on Twitter that he did this to protest against important issues. These issues included racism, the need for gun control, and how immigrants were treated. He also mentioned his concerns about the words used by President Donald Trump.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said they were disappointed. Athletes agree not to make political statements during events. The USOPC respected Race's right to speak his mind but wished he had honored his agreement. Race had done a similar protest at a World Cup event in Egypt in 2017.
Race shared his reasons, saying he wanted to "call for change." He felt proud to represent Team USA but also concerned about problems in his country. He encouraged others to use their voices to help make a difference. On August 21, 2019, the USOPC placed Race Imboden on a twelve-month probation for his protest.
Modeling Career
Race started modeling after an agent saw him during the London Olympics. In 2013, he was named one of the most popular new models. In 2015, he began working with Wilhelmina Models. Race left college during his first year to focus on his modeling and fencing. This was because college sports rules (NCAA) meant he couldn't fence in college if he was paid for modeling. Race is now represented by The Society Management New York.
Images for kids
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Race Imboden in 2015
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Imboden (right) with Team USA on the podium at the 2013 World Fencing Championships.
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Imboden (left) fencing against Italy's Andrea Cassarà (right) in the 2013 World Fencing Championships.
See also
In Spanish: Race Imboden para niños
- List of USFA Division I National Champions
