Soren Thompson

Thompson was born in San Diego, California, and attended Torrey Pines High School,{{Cite web |date=2012-04-01 |title=SHOOTING THE BREEZE: A Q&A with Olympic fencer Soren Thompson |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2012/04/01/shooting-the-breeze-a-qa-with-olympic-fencer-soren-thompson/ |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2012-08-01 |title=Torrey Pines HS Grad Set to Fence in Olympics Wednesday |url=https://patch.com/california/lajolla/torrey-pines-hs-graduate-set-to-fence-in-the-olympics-wednesday |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=La Jolla, CA Patch |language=en}} graduating in 1999. He then attended Princeton University, majoring in Art and Architecture.{{cite web|url=http://www.fencingmedia.org/viewathlete.asp?name=soren_thompson|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630061753/http://www.fencingmedia.org/viewathlete.asp?name=soren_thompson|archivedate=June 30, 2006|title=Athlete Profile: Soren Thompson|publisher=Fencing Media.org|url-status=usurped|accessdate=13 July 2015}} While attending Princeton, Thompson took a year off from school to focus on his training prior to the 2004 Athens Olympics.Megan Sauer. [http://stategamesofamerica.com/sorenthompson "Soren Thompson: 5 Things Everyone Should Know About Fencing,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406032501/http://stategamesofamerica.com/sorenthompson |date=April 6, 2017 }} State Games of America. Thompson graduated with an A.B. in art and archaeology from Princeton University in 2005 after completing an 87-page-long senior thesis, titled "The San Diego School of Organic Architecture", under the supervision of Esther da Costa Meyer.{{Cite book|last=Thompson|first=Soren Hunter Miles Sussman|date=2005|title=The San Diego School of Organic Architecture|url=https://dataspace.princeton.edu/handle/88435/dsp01vm40xr92c}}

From 2008 until April 2011 he worked for Hycrete, a clean-tech company in Northern New Jersey.[http://www.towntopics.com/wordpress/2012/07/18/after-hamstring-injury-nearly-ended-fencing-career-pu-alum-thompson-making-return-trip-to-olympics/ "After Hamstring Injury Nearly Ended Fencing Career, PU Alum Thompson Making Return Trip to Olympics,"] Town Topics, July 18, 2012. Since 2015, Thompson has served as Vice President of Business Development of Daxor Corporation, a blood volume diagnostic company in New York City.{{cite press release|url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/03/08/1418666/0/en/Daxor-Corporation-Announces-Rise-in-Kit-Sales-New-Device-Sale-and-Filing-of-Form-N-CSR-for-2017-NYSE-MKT-LLC-DXR.html |title=Daxor Corporation Announces Rise in Kit Sales, New Device Sale, and Filing of Form N-CSR for 2017 (NYSE MKT LLC: DXR)|publisher=GlobalNewswire |date=March 8, 2018 |accessdate=December 17, 2019}}{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.daxor.com/executive-team/ |title=Executive Team; Soren Thompson, Vice President Business Development |publisher=Daxor |date= |accessdate=2019-12-17}} He received an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://gocolumbialions.com/sports/2020/2/6/columbia-in-the-olympics|title=Columbia's Olympic History|website=Columbia University Athletics}}

He was a resident of San Diego, and now resides in New York City.Wayne Coffey (July 26, 2012). [http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/olympics-2012/race-imboden-new-yorkers-dominate-u-s-olympic-fencing-team-article-1.1122115 "Don't fence us in: New Yorkers dominate Olympic team,"] New York Daily News.{{cite web|url=https://www.usafencing.org/page/show/700846-soren-thompson |title=Soren Thompson |publisher=USA Fencing |date= |accessdate=December 17, 2019}}

Thompson started fencing when he was 7 years old. He eventually became the highest-ranked junior in the United States.

Thompson currently represents the New York Athletic Club, and trains there and at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. His coaches have included Alison Reid, Lisa Posthumus, Gago Demirchian, Yefim Litvan, Michel Sebastiani, Heizaburo Okawa, and Michael D'Asaro Sr.

Thompson attended Princeton University. Fencing at Princeton under Maître Michel Sebastiani, Thompson was the 2001 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Épée Champion, came in 2nd in 2002, and was 3rd in 2005.[https://www.fencinginstruction.com/instructors.html "Instructors,"] Fencing Instruction.{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|url=https://www.southwestfencing.org/01-02/ncaafencing2002NCAA2002.html |title=2002 NCAA Fencing |date= |publisher=SouthWest Fencing |accessdate=January 3, 2011}}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}[https://www.fencinginstruction.com/news.html Fencing Instruction.]{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012023633/https://www.fencinginstruction.com/news.html |title=.|date=October 12, 2013 }}Gerry Brown, Michael Morrison (2001). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1y8cgjfy-QC&q=%22soren+thompson%22 ESPN Sports Almanac 2002: Information Please,] Hyperion.

His other NCAA awards include First Team All-American in 2001–02 and 2005, and Honorary All-American in 2003, First Team All-Ivy in 2001–03 and 2005, and Academic All-Ivy in 2005.

In 2005, Princeton awarded Thompson the William Winston Roper Trophy, its highest honor for a male athlete.{{cite web|url=https://princetonvarsityclub.alumniathlete.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=inst_career_center.content&contentid=0d65299e-125a-45fb-ac98-2aec5d1a62fc |title=William Winston Roper Trophy |publisher=Princeton Varsity Club |date= |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008054908/http://princetonvarsityclub.alumniathlete.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=inst_career_center.content&contentid=0d65299e-125a-45fb-ac98-2aec5d1a62fc |archive-date=October 8, 2007 |df=mdy }}

Thompson won the US Junior National Championship and the US Junior Olympics Championship in 1999 in épée.

He won individual gold medals in men's épée at both the 2011 US Fencing National Championships and the 2018 US Fencing National Championships.[http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__60270/Title__FENCING-2018-USA-Fencing-Hall-of-Fame-Induction-Class/292/Articles "Fencing: 2018 USA Fencing Hall of Fame Induction Class,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116135536/http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__60270/Title__FENCING-2018-USA-Fencing-Hall-of-Fame-Induction-Class/292/Articles |date=January 16, 2018 }} Around the Rings, May 24, 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.usafencing.org/news_article/show/930706 |title=Nicole Ross and Soren Thompson Bring Home Gold to Open Summer Nationals|author= Kristen Henneman|publisher=USA Fencing|date=June 29, 2018|accessdate=December 17, 2019}}

Through 2021, he has won team gold medals in men's épée in the 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019, and 2021 US Fencing National Championships with teams from the New York Athletic Club.[http://museumofamericanfencing.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Div-I-Team-National-Champions-by-year.pdf "U.S. Fencing Division I Team National Champions by Year,"] Museum of American Fencing.{{Cite web|url=http://www.usafencing.org/page/show/6795555-2020-21-season-results|title=2020-21 Season|website=USA Fencing}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.usafencing.org/page/show/4959543-2018-2019-season|title=2018-2019 Season|website=USA Fencing}}

Thompson won the team bronze medal in the 1999 Junior World Fencing Championships. The following year, he came in 11th individually at the 2000 Junior World Fencing Championships.

Thompson took 8th in the 2003 World Fencing Championships in Havana, Cuba, defeating top seed Ivan Kovacs of Hungary (15–14).[https://archive.today/20040616092118/http://www.fencingfootage.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=91 "2003 World Championships Epee: Mr. Thompson Goes to Cuba,"] Fencing Footage.[https://books.google.com/books?id=OiJbAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22soren+thompson%22&pg=PT159 "Sports Shorts,"] Princeton Alumni Weekly, November 5, 2003.

He came in 26th in the 2006 World Fencing Championships in épée, in Turin, Italy.[http://www.usfencing.org/page/show/700846-soren-thompson "Soren Thompson,"] USA Fencing. At the 2011 World Fencing Championships, Thompson made it as far as the Round of 16 (where he lost to 2011 world champion Paolo Pizzo of Italy) in Catania, Italy.[http://fie.org/fencers/Soren-THOMPSON-6745/career "Soren Thompson,"], FIE.

At the 2012 World Fencing Championships in Kyiv, Ukraine, in April 2012, Thompson won the gold medal for the team épée event, as part of the U.S. Men's Épée Team that won the first Senior World Championship fencing title for American men in history.John Otis (May 17, 2012). [https://london2012.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/for-epee-team-a-world-championship-but-no-olympics/ "For Épée Team, a World Championship but No Olympics,"] The New York Times.Ivette Morello (May 2, 2012). [http://www.eurweb.com/2012/05/ben-bratton-first-african-american-to-win-gold-in-elite-sport-of-fencing-video/# "Ben Bratton: First African-American to Win Gold in Elite Sport of Fencing" (video),"] EURweb. The US team defeated six-time reigning World Champion France in the finals.

While attending Princeton, Thompson took a year off of school to focus on his training prior to the 2004 Athens Olympics.

He qualified for both the individual and team épée competitions in Athens.

Thompson fenced for the US in the 2004 Olympics at 23 years of age, taking 7th place in the individual épée competition, the best US result in the event since 1956 and at the time the second-best of all time.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/soren-thompson-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417230633/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/soren-thompson-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |title=Soren Thompson Olympic Results |accessdate=June 10, 2012 |publisher=Sports Reference}} He defeated Paris Inostroza of Chile in Round Two, 13–12.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417082727/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2004/FEN/mens-epee-individual-round-two.html "Fencing at the 2004 Athens Summer Games: Men's Epee, Individual Round Two,"] Sports Reference. In the Round of 16, he defeated Alfredo Rota of Italy, the No. 1 ranked épée fencer in the world and 2000 Olympics team épée gold medal winner, 15–13.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2004/09/09/sports/10638.shtml |title=Tiger in Athens; Thompson '05 knocks off world's top fencer in Athens |work=Daily Princetonian|author=David Baumgarten |date=September 9, 2004 |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050309200825/http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2004/09/09/sports/10638.shtml |archive-date=March 9, 2005 }} He then lost 15–11 to the 2000 Olympic gold medalist Pavel Kolobkov of Russia, who went on to win the 2004 Olympic silver medal.. [https://www.usocpressbox.org/usoc/pressbox.nsf/05d409f9240f65c087256c690010d98e/d0a471700def49b585256efd00599479?OpenDocument&Click=], US Olympic Committee.{{dead link|date=February 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Thompson became the first American to reach the men's épée quarterfinals in nearly 50 years.{{cite web|url=https://www.princeton.edu/~paw/archive_new/PAW04-05/08-0209/sports.html |title=Have sword, will travel; Olympic fencer's skills have global appeal|author=Brett Tomlinson|work=Princeton Alumni Weekly |date=February 9, 2005 |accessdate=January 3, 2011}}

He also took 5th place with the US épée squad in the team competition at the 2004 Olympics.

The US Olympic Committee named him the 2004 Male Athlete of the Year: Fencing.[https://www.fencingarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/usfa/operationsmanual/2011%20Operations%20Manual%202011-09-30.pdf "Operations Manual 2011 Edition,"] USA Fencing.

Thompson sought to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and was having the best season of his career. He suffered a serious injury, however, a fully torn off-the-bone right hamstring, before he was able to qualify. He therefore retired – temporarily, it turned out – from competitive fencing.

File:Quarter finalists Challenge RFF 2013 t201450.jpg

Thompson came out of retirement in 2010, and trained before and after his full-time job. He left his job in April 2011 to focus exclusively on fencing. He decided to not have a coach, as he didn't find what he wanted in a coach in New York City, and knew what he wanted to do, and felt he just needed to execute."

He qualified and represented the United States in the 2012 London Olympics. Thompson was eliminated in the round of 32 in the individual épée competition by Jörg Fiedler of Germany, the reigning European champion, finishing in 19th place.R. Stickney (July 31, 2012). [http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/sports/San-Diego-Local-Olympians-to-Watch-Wednesday-Aug-1-164497546.html "Upsets, Near Miss for Local Olympians,"] NBC 7 San Diego. No team men's épée event was held at the 2012 Olympics.

Thompson finished the 2012 season ranked 7th in the world in individual épée.

Thompson competed on the U.S. men's épée team and was a substitute on the U.S. men's foil team at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The épée team finished fourth, while the foil team won a gold medal. He subsequently won a team gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

He won individual and team gold medals at both the 2011 Pan American Fencing Championships in Reno, Nevada, and the 2012 Pan American Fencing Championships in Cancún, Mexico. Thompson then won a team silver medal at the 2013 Pan American Championships.

Thompson, who is Jewish, won a team silver medal at the 2005 17th Maccabiah Games in Israel.{{cite web|last=Hanau |first=Shira |url=https://njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com/foiled-in-ussr-emigre-lives-fencing-dreams-as-club-coach/ |title=Foiled in USSR, emigre lives fencing dreams as club coach |work=New Jersey Jewish News|date=July 16, 2012 |accessdate=December 17, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://sdjewishjournal.com/sdjj/september-2005/soren-the-swashbuckler/ |title=Soren the swashbuckler|author=Debra Kamin |work=San Diego Jewish Journal |date=June 21, 2010 |accessdate=2019-12-17}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pcsfencing.com/news/maccabiah.html |access-date=February 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222003920/http://www.pcsfencing.com/news/maccabiah.html |archive-date=February 22, 2007 |title=Maccabiah Games Results for Pacific Coast Section Fencers}}

He is a senior North American Cup (NAC) champion. In 2010, Thompson won a bronze medal at the North American Cup A. In 2012, he won a silver medal at the December North American Cup.

Thompson came in 2nd, winning the silver medal, at the 2004 Buenos Aires Senior Épée World Cup.{{cite web|url=https://www.princeton.edu/~tigerfen/alumni/bios/Thompson_Soren.html |access-date=February 24, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111052644/http://www.princeton.edu/~tigerfen/alumni/bios/Thompson_Soren.html |archive-date=January 11, 2007 |title= Soren Thompson|publisher=princeton.edu}} He won a team silver medal at the 2012 Legnano World Cup, and a team bronze medal at the 2012 Tallinn World Cup. The following year he again won a team silver medal at the 2013 Legnano World Cup.

Thompson was inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in 2018.

He is a 2020 Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductee.{{cite web|url=https://scjewishsportshof.com/newinductees/ |title=New Inductees | SoCal Jewish Sports Hall of Fame 30th Anniversary |publisher=Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame|date= |accessdate=2019-12-17}}

Thompson appears in Impractical Jokers an American hidden camera-practical joke reality series, as a guest star.

Thompson was listed at # 61 in the book 100 of the Best Fencers of All Time (A&V, 2014).Alex Trost, Vadim Kravetsky (2014). [https://books.google.com/books?id=I9PLAwAAQBAJ&q=%22soren+thompson%22 100 of the Best Fencers of All Time,] A&V.

• Princeton University Olympians
• List of select Jewish fencers
• List of NCAA fencing champions
• List of USFA Division I National Champions
• List of USFA Hall of Fame members

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• [https://www.facebook.com/Soren-Thompson-258346350846446/ Facebook page]
• [http://fie.org/fencers/Soren-THOMPSON-6745/ FIE (International Fencing Federation) profile]
• Jason Rogers (February 7, 2017). [https://www.betterfencer.com/articles/soren-thompson-on-fencing-training "Soren Thompson on Fencing, Training for the Unknown,"] Better Fencer.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Soren}}

Category:1981 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century American Jews

Category:American male épée fencers

Category:Columbia Business School alumni

Category:Competitors at the 2005 Maccabiah Games

Category:Fencers at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Category:Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Category:Fencers from New York City

Category:Jewish épée fencers

Category:Jewish American sportspeople

Category:Jews from New York (state)

Category:Fencers at the 2011 Pan American Games

Category:Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games

Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in fencing

Category:Olympic fencers for the United States

Category:Princeton Tigers fencers

Category:Maccabiah Games silver medalists for the United States

Category:Maccabiah Games medalists in fencing

Category:Sportspeople from San Diego

Category:21st-century American sportsmen