A transgender fencer has come second in a tournament just six months after taking up the sport, hammering female rivals who’ve been competing for years.
Annika Rose Suchoski took on some of the best female fencers from the United States and Canada at the Fortune Fencing Regional Championships this month.
She placed second behind veteran fencer Meghan Pinchuk, who was undefeated in the competition.
Suchoski’s medal finish prompted outrage online. Commenters said the fact she’d come runner up so soon after taking up the sport suggested that she retained biological advantages enjoyed by male fencers.
The budding athlete began transitioning in 2018 and underwent surgery in 2022.
‘Strength, height & reach are likely advantages in fencing,’ one critic said.
‘Taller, greater reach, massively more upper body strength.’
Others called her a ‘cheat’ for entering the female division.
But Suchoski, who competes for the Utah-Southern Idaho division, was thrilled with her win, describing it as a ‘tough competition but a lot of fun.’
‘I started in February and fell in love with it,’ she said.
‘It’s really difficult but I have an excellent coach that is a two time world champion and she’s headed to Dubai in a couple months to go for a third title.
‘Through her I’ve been able to work with Olympians and International and National champions. Tons of amazing experience and teachers.’
Suchoski placed in the Veteran Women’s competition, and came 25th out of 55 in a separate women’s competition the same weekend.
It was her first fencing tournament since picking up the sport.
It comes months after Liz Kocab, another transgender fencer, took out her eighth world championship title, aged 71.
Kocab won the FIE Veteran Fencing World Championships in Florida back in October, sparking outrage from the community.
Swim star and women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines said Kocab was a ‘cheat’ for competing in the women’s division.
‘Liz Kocab (male) wins his 8th Fencing World Championship title…in the women’s category,’ Gaines said.
‘Winning a title as a male in the women’s category doesn’t make you a champion. It makes you an entitled cheat.’
Fencing USA, the sport’s official organization, has previously said their support for nonbinary and transgender athletes in fencing was ‘both a moral and ethical imperative.’
USA Fencing announced their policy on transgender and nonbinary athletes in November, 2022.
CEO Phil Andrews said at the time: ‘It is critical that we protect the rights of nonbinary and transgender athletes in fencing.’
‘Even as we plan to conduct more scientific research into the physiological effects of gender transition as they pertain specifically to the sport of fencing, we remain unanimously and steadfastly supportive of transgender athletes having their place in fencing.
‘To be clear, even as this issue evolves, our support of transgender athletes will not waver.’