Sports

Bronx’s saber tigers reach quarters, then fail to medal

PICK IT FENCERS:American saber fencers Daryl Homer (above) and Tim Morehouse celebrate victories yesterday en route to the Olympic quarters.

PICK IT FENCERS:American saber fencers Daryl Homer (above) and Tim Morehouse celebrate victories yesterday en route to the Olympic quarters. (AP)

PICK IT FENCERS: American saber fencers Daryl Homer (right) and Tim Morehouse (left) celebrate victories yesterday en route to the Olympic quarters. (
)

LONDON — For a brief moment, what was already the most successful Olympic day for U.S. men’s fencing in 64 years seemed poised to seize an even higher ground. Tim Morehouse and Daryl Homer, both sons of The Bronx, stood on neighboring playing surfaces at ExCel Center, the pro-American pockets of the crowd roaring themselves hoarse.

Homer had already had a momentous day. In the Round of 16 of the men’s individual saber competition, he withstood a furious late rally by Alexey Yakimenko of Russia, a man who has held the worldwide No. 1 ranking and entered the day at No. 2.

“I grew up idolizing him,” Homer later said. “He’s a great fencer and a very nice person. I think he’s the best fencer in the world right now.”

And Homer had beaten his idol. Tied at 14-14, the next point earning a slot in the quarterfinals, Homer, 21 and a student at St. John’s, stunned his hero, earned the 15th point, and the South Arena rattled with the achievement. Morehouse — celebrating his 34th birthday — also advanced to quarters with two decisive victories, over Russian Veniamin Reshetnikov and Belarus’ Dmitri Lapkas.

“Two men in the Eight,” said Morehouse, one of the sport’s most ambitious ambassadors, probably competing in his final Olympics. “That’s such a great sign of where we are as a program. And I thought we could both get to the Four.”

POST’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE

For a time, it seemed they could. Morehouse, a Riverdale native and Hell’s Kitchen resident, jumped to a quick 2-0 lead against Italy’s Diego Occhiuzzi on one of the four playing surfaces in use simultaneously. A few steps to the north, Homer challenged Romania’s Rares Dumitrescu, and after falling behind early, he found himself again tied late, 13-13, two points from the semifinals.

And that was as far as it went. Occhiuzzi, the eventual silver medalist, wound up ending Morehouse’s run, 15-9; Dumitrescu closed out his match with Homer. So close. So very close.

Still, for the first time since the last time the Olympics visited London in 1948, when the competition was far more intimate, the list of quarterfinalists included two Americans.

Hailing from the same borough, no less.

“It shows that I’m on the right path,” Homer said. “I was hoping to win a gold medal and I’m sad that it wasn’t here in the individual … but those guys are two of the best four fencers in the world on any given day and, unfortunately, I had to run into two of them back-to-back.”

“My goal was to try and win the tournament and give it everything I had and I did that out there,” Morehouse said. “I’m not afraid to win, let’s say, but I ran into a guy who beat me. I had two great matches today which I’m really happy about.”

This may sting for a bit — or at least until the team saber event on Aug. 3 — because both men could feel how well they were fencing. Homer believed he was even better in his quarterfinal match against Dumitrescu than he was in taking down the mighty Yakimenko. And Morehouse believed he was following his game plan precisely against the Italian.

“I just started fencing his game a little too much,” Morehouse said. “I started fencing the way I wanted to fence and then got caught up in his game.”

Still, for Morehouse — who earned a silver medal in the team saber event four years ago in Beijing — it was a distinct improvement over the singles four years ago, when he lost his first match.

“I knew coming in here that if I lose 15-0 and I gave it everything I have, then, fine,” Morehouse said. “If the victory is there, I’ll take it. I thought I had a really good chance to make the Four. Everyone here is an amazing fencer and he just beat me today, so hats off to him.”

Said Homer: “Our goal was to win medals, so of course this is somewhat disappointing. But I think it’s something to build on. As the youngest member of this team, I’m happy with where our future is headed. I think you have to be.”