Soren Thompson    ( San Diego, CA)

Event: Men’s Epee
Birth Date: May 5th, 1981 (San Diego, California)
Hometown: San Diego, California
Height: 6-3
Weight: 185 pounds
High School: Torrey Pines High School, Class of ’99
College: Princeton University ’05
Club: New York Athletic Club
Coaches: Gago Demirchian, Yefim Litvan, Michel Sebastiani and Michael D'Asaro Sr.

Career Highlights: 8th, 2003 World Championships
Bronze, 1999 World Junior Team Championships (with Kelsey and Viviani)
7th, Senior “A” World Cup, Stockholm, Sweden, June 2002
2001 NCAA Champion, 2nd in 2002
Soren was a member of the 4th-placed men’s epee team at the 2003 Pan Am Games and an alternate to the gold-medal men’s foil team.

On Athens: “I was and the rest of team were all born in ’81, which is young to be going to the Olympics in epee. That shows how well we’ve developed so far. It’s a good thing to do at this age, 23, it shows a lot of potential for us all for later on over the next couple of quadrennials.

“That said, I think that we all have a good chance to do something at this Olympics, individually and team. We deserve it, I deserve it, and I think we can get someone on the medal stand, which would be my goal for this Olympics.”

Finest Moment: At the 2003 World Championships, reaching the quarterfinals. “I was able to prepare as I wanted to in the months leading up; I really came in focused and got my first upset out of the way early and was able to roll through the next couple of bouts.” Soren takes advantage of the U.S. Olympic Training Center in San Diego where he trains with Zach Weatherford, the resident strength and conditioning coach. He credits his physical training as an important factor in his success.

How I Started Fencing: Soren started fencing in a recreational class at the University of California San Diego when he was seven years old. At age 12 he began commuting over two hours to train in Los Angeles. He eventually rose to become the highest-ranked junior in the United States. Soren has traveled to over 25 countries for fencing competitions and training.

Did You Know?Soren studies history of architecture at Princeton University; he tries to see a little of each country’s architecture on every fencing trip.