Jessica Guo

Biography

At just 14 years old, Jessica Guo became a double silver medallist at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, reaching the podium in the women’s individual and team foil events. That followed her silver medals in both events at the 2019 Pan American Championships earlier in the summer. It was also in 2019 that Guo competed at her first FIE World Championships, competing first at the cadet-junior competition and then the senior competition where she finished 13^th in the individual foil and helped Canada to a sixth-place finish in the team foil.

Still eligible for cadet and junior competition as a 15-year-old, Guo was crowned 2021 World champion at the cadet level in the individual foil, a day after winning world championship bronze in the event at the junior level. She went on to make her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 where she advanced to the Table of 16 in the individual foil and helped Canada to a fifth-place finish in team foil.

In 2022, Guo won her second straight world title at the cadet level. She won two more medals at the Pan American Championships, taking individual foil bronze and gold in women’s team foil. She also posted her career-best results at the senior world championships, placing 11^th in individual foil and fifth in women’s team foil.  

In 2023, Guo repeated as an individual foil bronze medallist and team foil gold medallist at the Pan American Championships. A few months later, she won individual foil bronze and team foil silver in her second Pan Am Games appearance at Santiago 2023. In December 2023, Guo earned her first podium at an FIE World Cup event, placing third in individual foil in Novi Sad, Serbia. She followed up with a second World Cup bronze in Paris in January 2024. She went on to earn the title of world junior champion in women’s individual foil in April 2024. That came on the heels of her winning the women’s individual foil event at the 2024 NCAA Fencing Championship while representing Harvard University.

Guo competed in her first senior World Cup event in November 2018 where she surpassed all expectations by not only making it past the preliminary round, but also advancing into the Round of 32 and finishing 21^st overall at age 13.

A Little More About Jessica

Getting into the Sport: Started fencing at age 7 and began competing at age 9… Has always been intrigued by the tactics in fencing and the need to predict an opponent’s next move… Outside Interests: Studying pre-med with a concentration in neuroscience at Harvard University… Plays the alto saxophone… Odds and Ends: Wears a bracelet she believes is her good luck charm because all of the charms on it were given to her by family and friends; also collects new charms for the bracelet during her travels… Role model is U.S. Olympic fencer Lee Kiefer, who won a world championship medal at age 15 and maintained a top five world ranking while attending medical school… Favourite quote: “It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop”… Older sister Zi Shan was also a competitive fencer…