St. John's University Athletics
Paris Bound: Four Johnnies Head to the Olympic Games
7/23/2024 11:45:00 AM | Fencing, General, Women's Track and Field
Two athletes and two coaches to represent St. John’s in Paris
QUEENS, N.Y. (July 22, 2024) – St. John's will have two athletes and two coaches representing three different countries at the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Two recent fencing graduates Jan Jurkiewicz and Fares Ferjani will represent their respective home nations in the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympiad in Paris, which will run July 26-August 11.
A 2023 NCAA Champion, Jurkiewicz will represent Poland in men's foil. For the third time, Ferjani will take the Olympic stage for Tunisia in the men's saber competition.
Head Fencing Coach Yury Gelman will serve as an assistant coach for the United States and Tunisia. Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Aliann Pompey will head to France as a member of the World Olympians Association Executive Committee.
Jurkiewicz will make his Olympic debut representing Poland in the men's foil team and individual competitions. The Torun, Poland native qualified for his first games after finishing top-two in the nation's qualifiers. He is currently ranked No. 3 in men's foil in Poland and ranks 66th in the world heading into the sport's brightest stage.
In May, Jurkiewicz graduated from St. John's with his master's degree in psychology, wrapping up a decorated career in Queens. The three-time All-American tallied a career bout record of 137-47, good for a 74.4 percent win rate. In his final season, he captured first place at the NCAA Northeast Regional before forgoing his national title defense to compete in Olympic qualifiers. In 2023, he became the first Johnnie to win a national title since 2019, outlasting Princeton's Mohamed Hamza to claim the crown in Durham, N.C.
Ferjani is set to compete in his third-straight Olympic Games in the individual men's saber competition. In Tokyo, he finished 22nd in the event and took 25th place in Rio in 2016, making his Olympic debut at the age of 18. The 2023 St. John's graduate is currently ranked No. 14 in the world in men's saber according to the International Fencing Federation World Rankings.
The Carthage, Tunisia native starred in Queens from 2017-23 for the Red Storm. He amassed 159 victories in five seasons and was tabbed an All-American four times, including First Team honors in 2019, '22 and '23. At the NCAA Championships, he finished inside the top three on two occasions.
Gelman, a St. John's Hall of Famer, will serve as a member of the Team USA's staff for the seventh-straight time, dating back to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. During his tenure, the United States has brought home eight individual medals and seven as a team. He will mentor Team Tunisia and Ferjani for the first time.
Gelman has been at the helm of the St. John's fencing program for 30 years and has built the Red Storm into one of the premier teams in the country. During his tenure, the Johnnies captured a team title in 2001 and have finished top seven nationally for the last 31 seasons. He has mentored Olympic medalists, World Champions, 26 NCAA Individual Champions and 140 All-Americans.
Pompey heads to Paris as a representative of the World Olympians Association Executive Committee, which she was elected to serve on in October 2020. The head of the Red Storm track and field program will participate in the Olympics for the seventh time. She competed four times for Guyana in the 400-meter dash in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. During the last two Olympiads in 2016 and 2021, she served as a team representative for her home country.
The former NCAA Champion took the reins of the program in 2021 after seven years as an assistant under Jim Hurt. In just three seasons at the helm, three Red Storm runners have earned high-point performer honors at the BIG EAST Championships and two have qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
For more information about the 2024 Paris Olympics, visit their website and view the schedule below to see when Red Storm athletes will be competing.
St. John's at the Olympics Schedule:
Fares Ferjani – Tunisia Men's Saber
Saturday, July 27th
4:25 a.m. - Men's Saber Individual (Round of 64)
6:30 a.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Round of 32)
9:00 a.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Round of 16)
10:15 a.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Round of 8)
1:50 p.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Semifinal 1)
2:15 p.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Semifinal 2)
3:05 p.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Bronze Medal Bout)
3:55 p.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Gold Medal Bout)
Jan Jurkiewicz – Poland Men's Foil
Monday, July 29th
3:55 a.m. - Men's Foil Individual (Round of 64)
6:05 a.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Round of 32)
8:55 a.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Round of 16)
10:20 a.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Round of 8)
1:50 p.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Semifinal 1)
2:20 p.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Semifinal 2)
3:15 p.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Bronze Medal Bout)
4:10 p.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Gold Medal Bout)
Sunday, August 4th
5:50 a.m. - Men's Foil Team (Round of 8)
7:40 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Classifications 5-8)
8:50 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Semifinal 1)
8:50 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Semifinal 2)
10:00 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Placement 7-8)
10:00 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Placement 5-6)
1:10 p.m. – Men's Foil Team (Bronze Medal Match)
2:30 p.m. – Men's Foil Team (Gold Medal Match)
Two recent fencing graduates Jan Jurkiewicz and Fares Ferjani will represent their respective home nations in the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympiad in Paris, which will run July 26-August 11.
A 2023 NCAA Champion, Jurkiewicz will represent Poland in men's foil. For the third time, Ferjani will take the Olympic stage for Tunisia in the men's saber competition.
Head Fencing Coach Yury Gelman will serve as an assistant coach for the United States and Tunisia. Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Aliann Pompey will head to France as a member of the World Olympians Association Executive Committee.
Jurkiewicz will make his Olympic debut representing Poland in the men's foil team and individual competitions. The Torun, Poland native qualified for his first games after finishing top-two in the nation's qualifiers. He is currently ranked No. 3 in men's foil in Poland and ranks 66th in the world heading into the sport's brightest stage.
In May, Jurkiewicz graduated from St. John's with his master's degree in psychology, wrapping up a decorated career in Queens. The three-time All-American tallied a career bout record of 137-47, good for a 74.4 percent win rate. In his final season, he captured first place at the NCAA Northeast Regional before forgoing his national title defense to compete in Olympic qualifiers. In 2023, he became the first Johnnie to win a national title since 2019, outlasting Princeton's Mohamed Hamza to claim the crown in Durham, N.C.
Ferjani is set to compete in his third-straight Olympic Games in the individual men's saber competition. In Tokyo, he finished 22nd in the event and took 25th place in Rio in 2016, making his Olympic debut at the age of 18. The 2023 St. John's graduate is currently ranked No. 14 in the world in men's saber according to the International Fencing Federation World Rankings.
The Carthage, Tunisia native starred in Queens from 2017-23 for the Red Storm. He amassed 159 victories in five seasons and was tabbed an All-American four times, including First Team honors in 2019, '22 and '23. At the NCAA Championships, he finished inside the top three on two occasions.
Gelman, a St. John's Hall of Famer, will serve as a member of the Team USA's staff for the seventh-straight time, dating back to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. During his tenure, the United States has brought home eight individual medals and seven as a team. He will mentor Team Tunisia and Ferjani for the first time.
Gelman has been at the helm of the St. John's fencing program for 30 years and has built the Red Storm into one of the premier teams in the country. During his tenure, the Johnnies captured a team title in 2001 and have finished top seven nationally for the last 31 seasons. He has mentored Olympic medalists, World Champions, 26 NCAA Individual Champions and 140 All-Americans.
Pompey heads to Paris as a representative of the World Olympians Association Executive Committee, which she was elected to serve on in October 2020. The head of the Red Storm track and field program will participate in the Olympics for the seventh time. She competed four times for Guyana in the 400-meter dash in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. During the last two Olympiads in 2016 and 2021, she served as a team representative for her home country.
The former NCAA Champion took the reins of the program in 2021 after seven years as an assistant under Jim Hurt. In just three seasons at the helm, three Red Storm runners have earned high-point performer honors at the BIG EAST Championships and two have qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
For more information about the 2024 Paris Olympics, visit their website and view the schedule below to see when Red Storm athletes will be competing.
St. John's at the Olympics Schedule:
Fares Ferjani – Tunisia Men's Saber
Saturday, July 27th
4:25 a.m. - Men's Saber Individual (Round of 64)
6:30 a.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Round of 32)
9:00 a.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Round of 16)
10:15 a.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Round of 8)
1:50 p.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Semifinal 1)
2:15 p.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Semifinal 2)
3:05 p.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Bronze Medal Bout)
3:55 p.m. – Men's Saber Individual (Gold Medal Bout)
Jan Jurkiewicz – Poland Men's Foil
Monday, July 29th
3:55 a.m. - Men's Foil Individual (Round of 64)
6:05 a.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Round of 32)
8:55 a.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Round of 16)
10:20 a.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Round of 8)
1:50 p.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Semifinal 1)
2:20 p.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Semifinal 2)
3:15 p.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Bronze Medal Bout)
4:10 p.m. – Men's Foil Individual (Gold Medal Bout)
Sunday, August 4th
5:50 a.m. - Men's Foil Team (Round of 8)
7:40 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Classifications 5-8)
8:50 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Semifinal 1)
8:50 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Semifinal 2)
10:00 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Placement 7-8)
10:00 a.m. – Men's Foil Team (Placement 5-6)
1:10 p.m. – Men's Foil Team (Bronze Medal Match)
2:30 p.m. – Men's Foil Team (Gold Medal Match)
Players Mentioned
Saber
/ Fencing
Foil
/ Fencing2020 St. John's Invitational Reel
Saturday, January 18
St. John's University Fencing Invitational Highlights
Saturday, January 19