Sam Imrek: Driven to Win
With a schedule that includes USA Fencing national tournaments and FIE international tournaments at both the junior and senior levels, it’s safe to say Samuel Imrek (Alliance Fencing Academy) is busy.
Sam’s unique on-piste personality and style are always fun to watch. Photo: Serge Timacheff
“Busiest year ever,” is how he puts it.
As I prepared to catch up with the 18-year-old, who is currently the No. 2 junior men’s epee fencer in the world, I reviewed his fencing results from 2023. It was an impressive collection of competitions and finishes.
I caught up with him at home in Texas. He was finishing up a camp at Alliance Fencing Academy in Houston and enjoying a few moments without traveling (unusual for him!). Sam didn’t have much time for reflection because he was busy focusing on his next event: a World Cup in Italy, where he earned a bronze medal.
Sam’s 2023 was anything but typical. He started the year with a 35th-place finish in Division I Men’s Epee at the January NAC. The next day, he was on the podium with a gold medal in Junior Men’s Epee, having no idea he would become a fixture on the podium with seven gold medals in 2023 in domestic competitions. As he was preparing to graduate from high school, he ruled men’s epee competitions with three first-place finishes; two at the Division I Championship and April NAC, and one at an ROC. He graduated high school in Houston, Texas, in May 2023, preparing to join the Penn State Class of 2027 after signing a letter of intent in November 2022 when he was the reigning Cadet World Champion.
A bronze at the 2024 Doha, Qatar FIE Grand Prix placed Sam as a serious contender on the senior circuit. Photo: Augusto Bizzi
With the 2023 Summer Nationals approaching, Sam was training hard at Alliance with his younger brother, Elijah Imrek, taking several lessons a week and participating in open fencing almost nightly. The brothers have been training under head coach Andrey Geva and his team of world-class coaches for more than a decade. Geva was the Team USA National and Olympic Coach from 2013 to 2021 and is a 2024 USA Fencing Hall of Fame inductee.
As it became clear that he would qualify for a spot on the senior team, Sam decided to defer college for a year to concentrate on fencing.
Sam dedicates much of his success to the support of his family, including his father, Dr. Alan Imrek, and his brother, Elijah (also an epeeist). Photo: Serge Timacheff
Sam ruled the Summer Nationals in Phoenix. He repeated his success from the April NAC, bringing home another gold medal in Division I Men’s Epee (becoming the second-youngest Division I National Champion at just 17 years, 8 months and 4 days) and one in Junior Men’s Epee. I had the opportunity to catch Sam in action during the tournament. At one point in the battle for the Junior title, while limping with a foot injury, Sam competed against his brother. Elijah displayed poise and potential throughout the match, and celebrated Sam’s win despite it resulting in his own loss. Undeterred by pain, Sam exhibited all the signs of a champion: focus, determination and flawless execution despite the injury.
Sam’s scrappy — or, as he prefers to call it, “broken-tempo” style — served him well in 2023. He ended the year with a second-place finish at the December SJCC and Division I NAC. So, the busiest year ever is an apt description.
“You never know what your results will be, so I just focus on the next thing,” he says.
Sam with Coach Andrey Geva. Photo: Serge Timacheff
Sam is not your traditional epeeist. He is only 5-foot-7 and underestimated for it, but he uses that perception to his advantage. He is fast, unpredictable and exhibits well-timed attacks with much-desired point control. His approach has served him well domestically, as he ended the year with an impressive 94.5% DE win ratio.
Expect the unexpected in Sam’s fencing. Photo: Serge Timacheff
Sam’s frequent flier miles are accumulating. He logged 12 international events in 2023 in addition to the domestic events. His favorite fencing memory is winning Cadet Worlds the year before in 2022 when he was just 16. For him, “…it was an unexpected result, and Dubai was a cool place.”
His goals for 2024 included “winning the Junior World Championships*, finishing as the No. 1 Junior.”
How does he plan to accomplish this?
“Perform to the best of my abilities. Clear my mind of distractions. Focus,” he says.
To that last point, one thing Sam has added to his training regime this year is meditation. His teammate and 2013 Cadet World Champion, Ari Simmons, recommended it. Sam started practicing meditation in August. It is helping to ground him and quiet his mind. He explained that he was one of those people whose mind is constantly flooded with thoughts. Meditation helps to develop another aspect of mental toughness and block those interrupting thoughts out during competitions, so he can focus on the attack at hand. Listening to Juice WRLD also helps him get into the zone before a competition. Sam credits his success this year to fencing with his peers at Alliance Fencing Academy and his supportive family.
“Focus,” says Sam. Photo: Serge Timacheff
If that wasn’t enough for one year, when not traveling, Sam can be found working the front desk at his father’s dental practice or at LA Fitness working on strength training.
Sam’s advice is appropriate for everyone: young, old, somewhere in the middle: Results are unknown so focus and work hard. It served him well in 2023 and is continuing throughout the season.
Editor’s Note: Following Debbie Amsbaugh’s submission of this article, Sam has since had multiple wins to add to his medal count for the season, including winning the Rio Junior Pan Am Zonal Championships and Serbia Junior Men’s Epee World Cup. He also took bronze at the 2024 Doha Men’s Epee Grand Prix and *Riyadh Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships, as well as the Basel and Udine Junior Men’s Epee World Cups. Go Sam!
Photo: Serge Timacheff