Between travel, rigorous academics, and 18 years of full-fledged fencing competition, “pressure makes diamonds,” senior fencer Simon Kushkov says.
For Kushkov, his fencing career began at three years old when his dad handed him his first sabre. Fencing is Kushkov’s blood — his dad pursued fencing as an Olympic alternate in Ukraine and eventually opened a fencing club in the United States.
“So yeah, all praise goes to my Dad,” Kushkov told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Fencing became a crucial part of Simon’s life early on. It helped that he developed a love for sword fighting while watching “Pirates in the Caribbean.” Working day in and day out at his dad’s fencing club since he was ten years old, he led camps and clinics over the summer while still traveling the world for competitions and World Cups.
“On Wednesday, I would be flying out to Sofia, Bulgaria for a World Cup. And [this type of travel] lasted the entire year … so I just [did] my homework on the plane.”
He was part of the 2020 Cadet World Team and ranked fifth in the world for U17 all before joining Penn’s fencing team.
So how was he able to put in so much time, travel, and training from such a young age?
“Just seeing my parents do the impossible,” Kushkov said. “We moved to the States and lived out of a basement. Being first generation really built that work. Seeing my parents do the things that other people can’t do, I think I’m really driven to push my limits and not take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Kushkov’s decision to come to Penn mainly relied on a “combination of three things”: business at the Wharton School, Penn’s work hard and play hard culture, but most importantly, coach Andy Ma “[who] has been like a father figure away from home, truly,” Kushkov said.
“From the bottom of my heart, he is a very good kid,” coach Ma said echoing Kushkov’s sentiments. “He loves fencing, he loves Penn, he loves our program. Every year I saw him grow. Finally this year, he was voted by the whole team … [for] men’s team captain. He carries the maturity and the leadership. So every year he grew up, he brought more maturity.”
Kushkov has made a large contribution to the fencing program so far. Since joining, he placed sixth in sabre at the NCAA Championships his freshman year. He has been honored with first team All-Ivy and with an Honorable Mention All-America. After placing first at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Region last year, he qualified for the 2025 NCAA Championship and placed 12th.
Now as a senior, he has embraced the role as a mentor for the team, though it did not come naturally. As a freshman joining the team, Kushkov admitted to the intense pressure of fitting in even with the amount of accolades under his belt.
“You still feel like you need to prove yourself and that’s how I felt. There was this whole team full of world champions, and world team members, and youth Olympians, and I mean you name the award, [someone] had it on our team. I definitely felt a really strong need to fit in with the group. I really tried to bring a big intensity to every tournament,” he said.
Kushkov’s gradual emergence to the position of captain has led him to appreciate his current role as a mentor for the underclassmen, acknowledging his growth from freshman year.
“I really like being a mentor … Also, the tournaments, there’s different timings and there’s different ways to prepare for these events and how to do well. I remember that was a really big culture shock to me, and that’s what I try to bring to the freshmen and sophomores and even to the juniors still.”
Having fenced all his life, Kushkov understands juggling academics and fencing, and his wisdom expands to the entire team. Whether it’s giving advice about eating vegetables or leading foot work routines, he’s always steering the team as the captain and a leader of the program.
“Oh, he’s the real model. He likes doing. He is always a present leader for us and an influence to the team,” coach Ma said. “He will leave a legacy.”
