New York Olympians In London 2012 Summer Games: Fencing

Team USA

Daryl Homer and Nicole Ross

Fencing has become the unofficial Olympic sport of New York City, with more than half of the Olympic fencing team being comprised of New Yorkers. Though they rep different boroughs (one is from the Upper West Side and the other the Bronx). Both of these first-time Olympians hoped to bring home gold medals after having promising starts in their early careers, including gold and bronze wins in the 2011 Pan American Championships.

Name: Nicole Ross

Age: 23

Olympic Event: Fencing

Hometown: New York, NY

While Ross won't be taking home a gold medal after a stunning defeat Saturday in a match against Ines Boubakri from Indonesia, she's still had a strong start in her fencing career. A Columbia University graduate, she is ranked number three nationally and has helped her team win gold medals in the 2011 Pan American Championships as well as the Junior World Championships.

Name: Daryl Homer

Age: 22

Olympic Event: Fencing

Hometown: New York, NY

Daryl Homer is both the youngest member on the 2012 USA Men's Olympic Men's Saber Team and is nationally ranked number one in men's fencing. A Bronx native, Homer began his career in fencing after finding the word in the dictionary at the age of five. By 16 he had won bronze at the Cadet World's and last year won gold at the Pan American Championships. Though the young fencer has been quoted describing his career as "lackluster" he put on quite a performance during a tense match over the weekend against Russian Aleksey Yakimenko, winning 15-14. His victory was short-lived however, when he was defeated by Romanian Rares Dumitrescu. Homer is in sixth place in Men's Saber.

Check back tomorrow to meet a few more of our Olympians in fencing.