Yalie fences his way to the Olympics

By Michael May

While most Yalies are pining away at their cushy summer internship, Peter Devine, MC '98, will be pitting his skills and confidence against the top fencers in the world in a battle for the coveted Olympic gold medal.

Devine sacrificed the 1995-96 school year in order to concentrate on his Olympic training. While it wasn't an easy decision to leave school and to sacrifice graduating with his class in 1998, a shot at the Olympic Games was just too much to pass up. "I knew that my only chance at the top three during the Olympic year would be to take time off school to train. However, even then, I didn't know how good my chances were," Devine said.

Olympic fencing hopefuls train diligently all year and then battle each other for the top three spots during a grueling tour of international meets. The fencers compete in 16 tournaments, six in America and 10 overseas. The six domestic tournaments are worth a fixed number of points toward the necessary qualifying score, and the lowest of the six scores is dropped. Finishing among the top 32 at an international tournament means finishing in the top 32 in the world. This is rewarded with a "result," which gives bonus points to fencers for their qualifying scores. The top three fencers compose the team that the United States sends to Atlanta to compete in this summer's Olympiad.

After a shaky beginning, the future looked pre-determined as the top two spots on the American team were all but secured and two other favorites had their sights set on the third and final slot. At this point in time, Devine seriously considered returning to New Haven and giving up on his dream, a dream he had held since he first picked up a foil at the age of nine. Leaving then would have allowed Devine to graduate in '98.

Instead, the Eli decided to continue his quest but to change his focus to his own performance and not necessarily the outcome of matches. And with this new attitude, Devine's luck began to change. At the most prestigious World Cup tournament of the year--the January World Cup in Paris--he struggled early and, after being given a poor seeding, barely advanced in competition. He won two elimination bouts to qualify for the second day of the tournament. Due to his poor seeding, Devine's next opponent was the then- number-one fencer in the world and reigning World Champion, Dmitri Chevtchenko of Russia.

In a fiercely battled match, Devine struck down his Goliath to win 15-13. He rode the momentum to a 16th-place finish. This "double result" gave him enough points to move him into second place in the U.S. standings.

Peter Devine recently saw his childhood dream materialize when he qualified for the Unites States' Olympic Fencing team in early May. He will be representing his country and his university in Atlanta while facing the very best fencers the world has to offer.

Devine has reached the home stretch on his path towards Olympic glory. Whether or not he can bring home a medal remains to be seen, but he will always have the satisfaction of having given his all and having matched skills with, and bested, the most talented fencers in the world.

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