Colin Heathcock
{{Short description|American fencer (born 2005)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox fencer
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2005|12|20}}
| birth_place = Beijing, China
| country = {{USA}}
| weapon = Sabre
| hand = right-handed
| height =
| weight =
| club = Christian Bauer Academy
| headcoach = Christian Bauer
| fieranking =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's sabre}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalBronze|2023 Milan|Team}}
{{MedalCompetition|Pan American Championships}}
{{MedalCompetition|Junior World Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2023 Plovdiv|Individual}}
{{MedalGold|2023 Plovdiv|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2024 Riyadh|Team}}
{{MedalCountry|{{Flagu|Germany}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|Junior World Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2022 Dubai|Individual}}
}}
Colin Yang Siqi Heathcock (December 20, 2005) is an American right-handed sabre fencer. He represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Early life and education
Heathcock was born to Virgil Heathcock and Julie Yang in Beijing, China and raised in Palo Alto, California. He has an older brother, Antonio, who is also a fencer. By 13 years old, Heathcock was competing internationally representing Germany, where his father has dual citizenship.{{cite web |url=https://www.si.com/olympics/colin-heathcock-team-usa-fencing-gold-medal-hopes |title=18-Year-Old Fencer Colin Heathcock Is Ready to Bring Home Gold for Team USA |website=SI.com |publisher=Sports Illustrated |first=Stephanie |last=Apstein |date=July 23, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}} In 2019, he moved to Orléans, France where sabre coach Christian Bauer was opening an academy.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/youth-movement-meet-32-teenagers-representing-us-paris |title=Youth movement: Meet the 32 teenagers representing the U.S. in Paris |website=nbcolympics.com |date=July 25, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}}
Heathcock is an incoming freshman at Harvard University where he is a member of the collegiate fencing team. {{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.org/news/2024/7/26/olympics-harvard-puts-its-mark-on-mens-sabre-team.aspx |title=Harvard puts its mark on men’s sabre team |website=NCAA.org |first=Mike |last=Lopresti |date=July 26, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}}
Career
Heathcock represented Germany at the 2022 Junior World Championships and won a gold medal in the individual sabre event.{{cite web |url=https://fie.org/articles/1168 |title=Germany’s Heathcock and USA’s Skarbonkiewicz Win Junior Sabre Gold on Opening Day of the 2022 Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships in Dubai |website=fie.org |publisher=Fédération Internationale d'Escrime |date=April 2, 2022 |access-date=July 29, 2024}} In 2022, he decided to switch his national team to the United States.
In April 2023 he represented the United States at the 2023 Junior Fencing World Championships and won a gold medal in the individual and team sabre events.{{cite web |url=https://fie.org/articles/1268 |title=USA’s Heathcock, Skarbonkiewicz Win Junior Sabre Gold on Opening Day of the 2023 Plovdiv Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships |website=fie.org |publisher=Fédération Internationale d'Escrime |date=April 1, 2023 |access-date=July 29, 2024}} In June 2023 he represented the United States at the 2023 Pan American Fencing Championships and won a gold medal in the team sabre event.{{cite web |url=https://www.usafencing.org/news_article/show/1277259 |title=Team USA Finishes Competition at 2023 Pan-American Senior Championships |website=usafencing.org |first=Nicole |last=Kirk |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 29, 2024}} In July 2023 he represented the United States at the 2023 World Fencing Championships and won a bronze medal in the men's team sabre, team USA's first ever World Fencing Championships medal in the event.{{cite web |url=https://www.usafencing.org/news_article/show/1280274 |title=2023 Worlds Recap, Day 7: With Dramatic Win in Bronze Medal Match, Team USA Earns First Ever Senior Team World Championships Medal in Men’s Saber |website=usafencing.org |first=Bryan |last=Wendell |date=July 28, 2023 |access-date=July 29, 2024}} He finished the 2022–23 season as the world's No. 1 ranked junior men's saber fencer.{{cite web |url=https://www.usafencing.org/colin-heathcock |title=Colin Heathcock |website=usafencing.org |access-date=July 29, 2024}}
In January 2024 he won gold at the Tunis Grand Prix. In March 2024 he won gold at the Padua Senior Men's Saber World, his second gold in the last three FIE senior tournaments.{{cite web |url=https://www.usafencing.org/news_article/show/1302794 |title=Team USA Saber Squads Impress in Padua and Athens as Olympic Countdown Continues |website=usafencing.org |first=Bryan |last=Wendell |date=March 4, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}} At 18 years old, he became the youngest ever men's sabre fencer to win multiple senior level international competitions in a season.{{cite web |url=https://gocrimson.com/news/2024/5/6/mens-fencing-program-record-eight-fencers-qualify-for-2024-olympics.aspx |title=Program-Record Eight Fencers Qualify for 2024 Olympics |website=gocrimson.com |date=May 6, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}} In April 2024 he represented the United States at the 2024 Junior Fencing World Championships and won a gold medal in the team sabre event.{{cite web |url=https://www.usafencing.org/news_article/show/1307671 |title=2024 Junior and Cadet Worlds, Saber Recap: Junior Men's Saber Team Secures Gold at World Championships! |website=usafencing.org |first=Nicole |last=Kirk |date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}}
In March 2024 he was named to team USA's roster to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics.{{cite web |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-olympics-news-fencing-news-road-to-paris-usas-eighteen-yo-top-junior-fencer-secures-debut-olympics-berth-with-two-big-medals/ |title=Road to Paris 2024: USA’s 18-Year-Old Top Junior Fencer Secures Debut Olympic Berth With 2 Big Medals |website=essentiallysports.com |first=Yashika |last=Dutta |date=March 5, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/harvards-fencing-program-charging-olympics-scene-8-athletes-set-compet-rcna162240 |title=Harvard's fencing program charging onto the Olympics scene with 8 athletes set to compete in Paris |website=NBC News |first=Raquel |last=Coronell Uribe |date=July 26, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}} During the men's sabre event, Heathcock was upset by Park Sang-won of Korea in the round of 32.{{cite web |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/7/28/harvard-sabre-crashes-out-olympics/ |title=Team USA’s All-Harvard Men’s Saber Fencing Crashes Out of Individual Tournament in Paris |newspaper=The Harvard Crimson |first=Thomas |last=Harris |date=July 28, 2024 |access-date=July 29, 2024}}
Medal record
=World Championship=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Date ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |
| 2023-07-27
| rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|ITA}} Milan, Italy |Team Men's Sabre | bgcolor="caramel" |3rd{{Cite web|title=27 Jul 2023 world Championship |url=https://fie.org/competitions/2023/252?tab=results|access-date=July 27, 2023|website=International Fencing Federation }} |
=Grand Prix=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Date ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |
| 2024-01-13
| rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|TUN}} Tunis, Tunisia |Individual Men's Sabre | bgcolor="gold" |1st{{Cite web|title=13 Jan 2024 grand prix |url=https://fie.org/competitions/2024/1432?tab=results|access-date=January 13, 2024|website=International Fencing Federation }} |
| 2024-05-04
| rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|KOR}} Seoul, Korea |Individual Men's Sabre | bgcolor="caramel" |3rd{{Cite web|title=04 May 2024 grand prix |url=https://fie.org/competitions/2024/165?tab=results|access-date=May 4, 2024|website=International Fencing Federation }} |
| 2024-12-06
| rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|FRA}} Orléans, France |Individual Men's Sabre | bgcolor="silver" |2nd{{Cite web|title=06 Dec 2024 grand prix |url=https://fie.org/competitions/2025/158?tab=results|access-date=December 6, 2024|website=International Fencing Federation }} |
=World Cup=
=Pan American Championship=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Date ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |
| 2023-06-20
| rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|PER}} Lima, Peru |Team Men's Sabre | bgcolor="gold" |1st{{Cite web|title=20 Jun 2023 zone Championships |url=https://fie.org/competitions/2023/808?tab=results|access-date=June 20, 2023|website=International Fencing Federation }} |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{FIE|50015}}
- [https://www.usafencing.org/colin-heathcock Colin Heathcock] at USA Fencing
- {{Team USA|new_id=colin-heathcock}}
- {{Olympics.com|colin-heathcock}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heathcock, Colin}}
Category:American male sabre fencers
Category:Fencers at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic fencers for the United States