VANCOUVER, British Columbia — 2025 NCAA national champion and Olympic medalist Mo Elsayed, one of LIU's most decorated student-athletes, captured the gold medal in épée at the Vancouver World Cup last weekend.

"This result is incredible," LIU fencing head coach Dwight Smith said. "I don't think people know how hard it is to win a World Cup. Most people will try there whole career and never win one. This is a phenomenal accomplishment. Mo has been an exemplary student-athlete, he performs in and out of the classroom. This result is just a brief glimpse of what he's capable of. He works hard every day, and even though he has quite a multitude of success, I know there is much more to come."

Elsayed, currently ranked No. 2 in the world in épée, went a perfect 6-0 in his first World Cup appearance, closing out the event with a dominant 15-5 win in the gold-medal match. 

The LIU senior was exempt from the first day of competition due to his top 16 world ranking but began competition on Saturday with a 13-12 overtime win against American Justin Yoo. Following a 15-10 win over Hungarian David Nagy and a 13-11 win over Alexis Bayard from Switzerland in the round of 16, Elsayed defeated Hoi Sun Fong from Hong Kong 15-7 to reach the competition semifinals.  

Elsayed defeated Hungarian Gergely Siklosi 15-13 in the semifinals, setting up a bout in the finals against Dov Ber Vilensky of Israel; the LIU senior excelled in the gold medal round, earning a decisive 15-5 victory. 

A native of Tanta, Gharbeya, Egypt, Elsayed is a 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time Olympian (2020 and 2024), a three-time junior world champion, the 2025 NCAA men's épée national champion, and currently ranks No. 2 in the world.