We Competed at the Astana Epee World Cup — Here's How it Went | Strategy, Upsets & Team USA Epee Rising

We competed at the Astana Epee World Cup in Kazakhstan — and Team USA beat Olympic champion Hungary. Full recap inside.The Fencing Podcast of All Fencing Podcasts.In this episode, you'll discover:• What it's actually like to compete at an international epee World Cup in Kazakhstan — the culture, the food, and the competition floor• How Team USA Men's Epee finished sixth and pulled off a landmark overtime win over Olympic champion Hungary, signaling real program growth on the world stage• A deep tactical breakdown of ego vs. simplicity in fencing strategy — and why sticking to the simplest path to victory is harder than it sounds• How epee is evolving globally, becoming faster and more physical, and what that means for competitors trying to keep upAri and Stephen are active competitors on the international fencing circuit who combine firsthand competitive experience with honest, unfiltered analysis — the kind of breakdown you won't find anywhere else in the fencing content space.Did you think Team USA had a legitimate shot at beating Hungary going into that match — or does a win like that still surprise you?⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00:00 Intro: Back From Kazakhstan & Why We Missed Last Episode00:03:51 Vlogging the World Cup00:07:02 Pool Round Breakdown00:19:31 Between Rounds: Kazakhstan Venue, Energy, and Team USA Vibe00:26:49 Fencing Strategy Deep Dive: Defensive Play, Ego, and Winning Formulas00:41:47 Kazakh Food, Horse Meat, and Smuggling Salami Home00:45:03 Individual Event Shoutouts00:49:25 Team Event Recap: USA Beats Olympic Champions Hungary in Overtime00:53:29 USA Women's Epee Team Dominance00:59:22 Fencing Content and Upcoming Episodes💬 BEST QUOTES"I hadn't felt this type of happiness to compete in such a long time.""At the competitions, you have to be the Rubik's Cube, and you also have to be the impenetrable wall. You have to be all these things.""This was the first time that I think the teams around the world looked at us and saw that we might be improving, and it was really, really awesome to see as an athlete, as a teammate and as someone who's, you know, really supporting this program in our in our growing stages."Theme song written and performed by Colin Campbell🔗 Connect with Colin📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbelltunes/?hl=enThank you for listening!🔗 Check out FencR🌐: https://www.fencr.app/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fencr.app🔗 Connect with Us🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple: https://link.me/directelimination📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directelimination/🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@directeliminationpodcast📺 Subscribe for more episodes: youtube.com/@DirectElimination🔗 Prieur USA🌐: https://www.prieurusa.com/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prieur_usa/