nick itkin

Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1999, Nick Itkin began his fencing career at age 7, coached by his father, Michael Itkin, a former elite fencer from Ukraine who established the Los Angeles International Fencing Center in 2003. His early exposure to the sport, alongside his mother, Tatyana Itkina, a former Ukrainian rhythmic gymnastics team member and U.S. coach, and his sister Julia, a former U.S. National Team member in rhythmic gymnastics, shaped his athletic development. Itkin attended Palisades Charter High School, graduating in 2017, and later pursued higher education at the University of Notre Dame, where he studied Finance and Political Science.

Itkin’s career progressed rapidly through junior and collegiate ranks. In 2015, he earned a Cadet Junior Olympics bronze medal, followed by a Cadet Pan American Championships gold in 2016 and a Junior Pan American Championships silver in 2017. A significant turning point occurred in 2018 when he won gold at the Junior World Fencing Championships in Verona, Italy, defeating future world champion Tommaso Marini. That same year, he won the NCAA Fencing Championship in foil while fencing for the University of Notre Dame, a feat he repeated in 2019. Itkin became the first American fencer to win gold medals at the NCAA Fencing Championships, the US National Fencing championships, and the Junior World Fencing Championship in the same year. This period established him as a prominent figure in American fencing, leading to his decision to compete at the senior level.

Since transitioning to senior competition, Itkin has achieved consistent success on the international stage. In 2020, he won gold at a World Cup event in Paris, becoming the youngest top-10 foil fencer globally after defeating Olympic and world champions. He earned his first Olympic medal, a bronze, with Team USA in the men’s team foil competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Itkin continued to collect accolades, including an individual bronze medal and a team silver medal at the 2022 World Fencing Championships in Cairo, and an individual silver medal at the 2023 World Fencing Championships in Milan, becoming the first U.S. man to achieve back-to-back individual World Championship medals. In 2024, he won the Foil Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., securing the world No. 1 ranking for the season, and subsequently won an individual bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, making him a two-time Olympic medalist.