Cambridge, Mass. (December 14) – This past summer, MIT men's and women's fencing head coach Jarek Koniusz helped Eli Dershwitz, a former student-athlete at Harvard University, capture the gold medal at the 2023 World Fencing Championship in Milano, Italy. Dershwitz became the first U.S. men's saber fencer to accomplish this feat.
 
After competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Dershwitz returned to Cambridge and began training with Koniusz as his individual lesson coach.
 
"I was responsible for his technical and tactical preparation during our individual lessons," said Koniusz. "I assure you that there is nothing better for a coach to see our efforts come to fruition and turn into Eli's phenomenal performance that day. In the semifinal bout, Eli defeated three-time Olympic Champion Aaron Szilagyi, and he followed that by demolishing the No. 1 world-ranked Sandro Bazadze for the gold."
 
In a recent visit, Dershwitz offered Koniusz his gold medal as a token of appreciation.
 
"I was very touched. I knew that he is a professional and knew that he is an athlete that every coach dreams of, but did not expect this."
 
Koniusz is currently in his 29^th year at the helm of MIT's men's and women's fencing programs. A four-time Northeast Fencing Conference Coach of the Year, he has built MIT fencing into a perennial powerhouse, qualifying 48 fencers to the NCAA Championship and guiding the Engineers to 22 New England Championship titles during his tenure. Koniusz competed internationally for Poland's national team for nearly two decades. He earned two individual medals at the World Championships (bronze in 1981 and silver in 1989) and was a gold medalist at the World Cup.
 
For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.