Country represented Ireland Club Empire United Fencing Weight 68 kilograms (150 lb) | Hand Right Weapon(s) Foil Name Brendan Cusack | |
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Born June 29, 1992 (age 32)
Summit, New Jersey ( 1992-06-29 ) Height 180 centimetres (5 ft 11 in) Education North Hunterdon High School Residence Glen Gardner, New Jersey, United States | ||
Brendan Francis Cusack (born June 29, 1992) is an Irish and American dual citizen foil fencer who competes on the Irish national team.
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Background
Born in Summit, New Jersey, Cusack acquired Irish citizenship from his paternal grandfather, John Cusack, who was born and raised in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland. He grew up in Glen Gardner, New Jersey and attended North Hunterdon High School, where he won the New Jersey State individual fencing title in 2011.
He began his fencing career in 2003. In 2008, he finished second in the Irish National Senior Championship. In 2010, he placed 39th in his first Junior World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan. Later that year, he won the Irish Open Championship in Dublin, and in February 2011 won the bronze medal at the Junior World Cup in Aix-en-Provence, France. In March 2011, he won the New Jersey State HS Fencing Championship for the first time, after finishing 4th, 3rd and 2nd in previous attempts. As a result of placings achieved in previous World Cup events in Luxembourg, England, Austria, and Spain, he moved into the top 35 of the world rankings for under-20 fencers, and also qualified for the World Championships in Amman, Jordan, where he defeated six opponents and finished 30th of 114 entrants from 48 countries. In July 2011, Cusack became the first Irishman to finish in the top 16 of the European Fencing Championships and subsequently was selected to represent Ireland at the European Zonal Olympic Qualifiers in Bratislava, Slovakia on April 21, 2012.