Terry Hayes, the oldest member of the Team USA delegation, competed in Category B women’s saber.
(Tokyo, Japan) – Competing at their first Paralympic Games, Shelby Jensen (Salt Lake City, Utah / Valkyrie Fencing Club) and Terry Hayes (North Fort Myers, Fla. / Southwest Florida Fencing Academy) both earned top-16 finishes in women’s saber on Wednesday.
2020 Paralympic Games Live Results
The first time women’s saber has been contested at the Paralympic Games, Jensen and Hayes competed in category A and B women’s saber, respectively, and became a part of history as two of the first female Paralympians to ever compete in the weapon.
“It’s an amazing feeling being one of the first women to actually fence saber in wheelchair in the Paralympics,” Jensen said.
In a pool that that included two-time World Champion Jing Bian (CHN) and four-time World medalist Yevheniia Breus (UKR), Jensen, a two-time Pan American Championship medalist, went 0-4 to finish 15th.
“I feel good,” said Jensen of her result. “I feel like I did my best with my pool being all multi-Paralympians.”
Hayes, a 2019 World Team member, secured a 12th-place result after going 0-5 in a pool that also included two World medalists.
“It’s all tough competition at this level and I feel like I did pretty good. I’m happy with my results,” Hayes said. “I was proud when I graduated from college. I was proud when I graduated from boot camp, but I have never in my entire life been as proud as when they said I myself was representing my country. I was just overwhelmed with gratitude that I was able to do that.”
Both Jensen and Hayes will be back in action tomorrow in the individual women’s epee competition along with four-time World Team member Ellen Geddes (Johnston, S.C.)