In the +70 men’s saber, John Terninko (Nottingham, N.H.) earned the very last spot in the direct elimination table after posting a 1-5 record in the pools, but battled through the table to win a bronze medal at his first Veteran Worlds.

“I had terrible pools, but I’m happy I came out of it in the DE,” Terninko said.

Although Terninko entered the direct elimination table as the 18^th seed, he steadily picked off his opponents, beginning with a 10-7 win over Kiyoshi Takeyasu (JPN) in the table of 32.

In the table of 16, Terninko upset Gary Aftandinov – the powerhouse Russian who has earned Veteran World titles in all three weapons – with a 10-8 win.

Terninko edged Franz Hirt (GER), a 1999 Veteran World Champion in foil, by a score of 10-9, in the quarter-finals before falling to two-time Veteran World Champion Wolf Nettingsmeyer (GER), 10-8.

“I was just two touches away from the finals. I’ve been fencing for over 50 years and the fleche is still a part of me and only every once in awhile does it slip out, but, it slipped out today in that last bout,” Terninko said.