Salute to a young Olympic fencer

Salute to a young Olympic fencer|Salute to a young Olympic fencer
Photo by Nelson A. King|Photo by Nelson A. King

Young female Olympic fencer, Nzingha Prescod, who competed last summer in the women’s foil in fencing at the London Olympic Games received a New York City citation last week from City Councilman Jumaane Williams.

At PS 109, principal Dwight Chase helped introduce Nzinga — daughter of Vincentian-American attorney Marva Prescod, with informational flyers that she later autographed, and a slideshow that depicted pictures of her competing; meeting athletes, including tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams; and visiting the White House to meet with President Barack Obama.

To the delight of the audience, Prescod demonstrated fencing on stage with Williams and several “lucky” students.

“I thank Nzingha not only for representing Flatbush so well but for showing these children a world that many of them did not even know existed,” the coucilman said. “Fencing presents real opportunities for our youth, including [those] in the Caribbean-American community,” he added.

Prescod, who recently visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines with her mom and younger sibling, told Caribbean Life she was “really exciting to be honored, especially because I was recognized by my community, which makes it so much more special.

“And I’m glad I was given the opportunity to share my experiences with this sport with the kids, because I really think it can inspire them to pick up a sport and aim for the Olympics like I did,” she added.

Prescod said she discovered fencing as a young girl after her mother read a newspaper article about the prestigious Peter Westbrook Foundation, a New York City-based fencing clinic for youth from underserved communities.

After learning that several participants were competing in the Olympic Games in 2001, the elder Prescod enrolled both of her daughters in the foundation’s Saturday fencing lessons. That same year, just nine years old, Nzingha Prescod said she held her first foil, quickly igniting her passion for fencing.

Having excelled in numerous extracurricular endeavors, including swimming, gymnastics and tennis, Prescod said she seemed “destined for athletic greatness.”

But she said her talents for fencing were even more apparent; she then received a scholarship for advanced instruction at the Peter Westbrook Foundation’s Fencers Club.

Since she was 14, Prescod has been competing in international fencing competitions. She won the U-17 World Championships in 2008 and 2009, as well as the 2011 U-20 World Championship.

Prescod was also a member of many gold-medal winning teams in the Cadet World Championships (2007, 2008 and 2009), the Junior World Championships (2011), the Pan-American Games (2011) and the Senior World Championship Teams (2009, 2010 and 2011).

During the winter break from Columbia University, where she is planning to major in political science, Prescod said she will be training for the World Cup, as well as the collegiate, season.

“So, I’ll be very busy in the spring,” she said, stating that this year she’ll mostly be focusing on National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competitions. with informational flyers that she later autographed, as well as a slideshow that depicted pictures of her competing; meeting athletes, such as tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams; and visiting the White House to meet with President Barack Obama.

To the delight of the audience, Prescod demonstrated fencing on stage with Williams and several “lucky” students.

“I thank Nzingha not only for representing Flatbush so well but for showing these children a world that many of them did not even know existed,” Williams said.

Prescod, who recently visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines with her mom and younger sibling, told Caribbean Life it was “really exciting to be honored, especially because I was recognized by my community, which makes it so much more special.

Photo by Nelson A. King
Photo by Nelson A. King