Yulen Pereira (born 12 July 1995) is a Spanish épée fencer, silver team medallist in the 2014 European Fencing Championships.

Yulen Pereira
Pereira at the 2014 Paris World Cup
Personal information
Full nameYulen Alexander Pereira Ramos
Born (1995-07-12) 12 July 1995 (age 28)
Madrid
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
SportFencing
WeaponÉpée
Handright-handed
National coachManuel Pereira
ClubClub Olimpo de Esgrima
FIE rankingcurrent ranking
Medal record
Men's Épée
Representing  Spain
European Fencing Championships
Silver medal – second place 2014 Strasbourg Team épée
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Tarragona Individual épée

Career edit

Pereira is the son of Manuel Pereira, Spain's only World champion in épée. He began playing with plastic and foam swords at home when he was four before taking up fencing proper.[1]

His first major medal was a bronze in the 2011 Cadets European Championships in Klagenfurt. In the 2012–13 season he won a bronze medal in the Junior European Championships in Budapest[2] and a silver medal in the Junior World Championships in Poreč.[3] These results caused him to be selected into the senior national team along with José Luis Abajo, Pau Roselló, and Elías Casado. His first senior competition was the Senior World Championships in Budapest. In the individual event, he defeated Switzerland's Benjamin Steffen in the first round, but was stopped right afterwards by World No.1 Rubén Limardo. In the team event, Spain was defeated by Poland in the table of 32. Pereira finished the season No.4 in Junior World rankings.

In the 2013–14 season he earned a silver medal in the European Junior Championships in Jerusalem.[4] He also took part in his first senior Fencing World Cup competition, the Trophée Monal in Paris, where he defeated World No.15 Park Sang-young of Korea, but ceded in the second round to France's Jonathan Bonnaire. At the European Championships in Strasbourg, he was defeated in the second round by Maksym Khvorost of Ukraine. In the team event, Spain created an upset by overcoming France, then Russia. They were defeated by reigning European champions Switzerland and came away with a silver medal in the first European podium for Spanish fencing since Jorge Pina's gold in sabre at the 2007 edition in Ghent.[5] At the World Championships in Kazan Pereira was eliminated by Bas Verwijlen in the preliminary table of 64. In the team event, Spain edged out Kazakhstan in the table of 64, but were defeated by Hungary and finished 15th. Pereira ended up World No.1 in Junior rankings.

References edit

  1. ^ J. Bellón (11 November 2011). "Yulen Pereira sigue los pasos de su padre" (pdf). Deporte de Madrid (in Spanish).
  2. ^ Ángel Vázquez (3 March 2013). "Un inmenso Yulen Pereira se lleva el bronce del Europeo Júnior de Budapest". Pasaporte Olímpico (in Spanish).
  3. ^ "El espadista Yulen Pereira, subcampeón del mundo júnior". 20 Minutos (in Spanish). 11 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Yulen Pereira consiguió la plata en el Europeo júnior" (pdf). Deporte de Madrid (in Spanish). 7 March 2014.
  5. ^ Jesús Mínguez (12 June 2014). "Pirri, Pereira, Moratilla y Roselló se cuelgan la plata por equipos". Diario AS (in Spanish).

External links edit

  • Profile at the European Fencing Confederation