When and where did you begin this sport?

She began fencing at age eight in Lyon, France.

Why this sport?

"When I was seven, my mother was looking for a sport for my little brother. There was a fencing club, Masque de Fer, and she proposed that I try it. I said no, that I didn't want to do a 'boy's' sport. I tried it the following year, and I liked it immediately. So I joined the club. The year after, my other little brother wanted to try, and so there were three of us Mallos at the club. Afterwards, the epee fencers left the club to start their own club, so we created an internal epee club called Lyon Epee Metropole, where I stayed until I left to join Cercle d'Escrime de Saint-Gratien."

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began fencing in 2008.

Why this sport?

He was involved in artistic gymnastics when he was younger, but switched sports after watching Japanese fencer Yuki Ota win a silver medal in individual foil at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He started out in foil before changing to epee while he was in high school after winning an epee tournament.

When and where did you begin this sport?

She began fencing at age six after watching her father fence at a local competition. "My siblings and I thought the sport was strange and interesting-appearing, so my dad started teaching us the basics in our empty dining room and taking us to a club twice a week that was 1.5 hours away from where we lived."

Why this sport?

She and her brother and sister followed their father, Steve Kiefer, into the sport. "Growing up my dad decided that he wanted to take up fencing again. He hadn't picked up a foil in 10 or 15 years, and me and my siblings watched him compete at a local tournament. Then he asked if we wanted to try it, and we said yes. Twenty years later I'm still doing it."

When and where did you begin this sport?

He took up the sport in the fourth grade at primary school.

Why this sport?

"My parents were both basketball players, so it was only natural I followed in their footsteps during my early years. All the basketball classes were suspended during the long holidays when I was probably in primary four. My father asked if I would be interested in taking a fencing course so that I could get some exercise and kill some time during the break. I thought about it for a while before saying yes."

When and where did you begin this sport?

She began fencing at age nine.

Why this sport?

She was encouraged to try the sport by her parents, and went to a fencing class where her father coached. She took up foil in grade three of primary school, but competed in sabre at a competition which had a prize of a jigsaw puzzle. She then switched to sabre before starting middle school.

When and where did you begin this sport?

He first tried fencing while he was in primary school. He took up the sport competitively in 2009 at Maebong Middle School in Daejeon, Republic of Korea.

Why this sport?

He was encouraged by his older brother. His parents initially did not want him to get involved in the sport but they were persuaded to let him pursue it after coach Park Jong-Han identified his talent.