Penn State fencers to be represented under 3 different flags at the Tokyo Olympics

Andrew Mackiewicz, Kaito Streets and Mohamed Hassan are set to continue a long-standing tradition of Nittany Lion fencing excellence, as all three of the former Penn State standouts were named to their home country’s Olympic teams for the Summer Games in Tokyo.

All three earned their long-time aspirations of making an Olympic team earlier this summer. Mackiewicz will compete for Team USA, Hassan for Egypt, and Streets for the host country, Japan.

All three Olympians will be participating in the Games for the first time after years of training following their exits from Penn State.

Streets moved back out to his birth country of Japan following his final year at Penn State and trained at the Japanese National Training Center in Tokyo for this specific event.

“Having the Olympics at my home country, that’s very special feeling,” Streets said. “There’s so much pride going into this, I want to not only represent my family but make my country proud.”

In the United States, the bar is set high for former Nittany Lions. Mackiewicz follows some impressive performances from the 2016 Games, in which two former Penn State fencers, Monica Aksamit and Miles Chamley-Watson, both took home bronze medals in Rio.

Despite the pressure to perform, Mackiewicz’s goals haven’t changed.

“Like everyone, so many people growing up, playing any kind of sport, would have dreams to just be here,” Mackiewicz said. “Holding up an American flag on the podium, I just hope I can get to experience that when I go to Tokyo.”

When the competitions begin, both Streets and Mackiewicz will be competing in men’s saber, possibly creating a sticky situation between the two former teammates. Hassan will dodge the friendly fire, as he will instead compete in men’s foil.

The three will be living out their childhood dreams of reaching the top of their sport in a few short days.

Two of the three took fairly similar paths to reaching this point. Despite being raised on different sides of the world, both Streets and Mackiewicz have more in common than the Olympic bids and Penn State.

Both came to fencing in a similar yet unlikely fashion. While hundreds of miles apart, both were signed up into participating in the sport thanks to their love of dueling lightsabers as a child.

“I always loved Star Wars,” Mackiewicz said. “I felt like the modern-day Skywalker, in a way, and even today I kind of keep that mantra to myself.”

The two eventually professionalized their love for sword fighting, as their families watched them improve from lightsaber fights in the front yard to the Olympic stage in not much time.

Both of those roads to Tokyo included stops in Penn State, a program synonymous for its success in Happy Valley. It isn’t football, wrestling or even women’s volleyball that holds the most national titles at Penn State — it’s fencing with 13.

Streets was the 2014 NCAA champion in men’s saber, and he watched Mackiewicz pick up right where he left off, winning that same title the next two years in 2015 and 2016.

Penn State fencing head coach Wes Glon had very high praise for his three former athletes and is excited to see them perform in Tokyo.

“They were both captains of the team,” Glon said of Streets and Mackiewicz. “They led by example. (The Olympics) was their promise; this is what they wanted and why they put in extra time for their high goals.”

Glon was sure to add that Hassan would have also been named a captain for this past fencing season, but he had opted out after his junior season to instead travel to Egypt in order to train for the Games. A decision that paid off with his Egyptian roster spot.

“Anything is possible,” Glon said. “They will be ready. I know they’re ready. Either individually or as a team, I hope that they will win some medals.”

On television, the trio of fencers will all be wearing a different country’s jacket donned with three different flags and names, but underneath the three share the same blue and white bond placed there in State College.

“I can only say good things about my experience at Penn State and especially with Wes Glon,” Streets said. “In a way, I fence for Japan but I fence for Penn State as well, so you know I’m hoping I do well at the Olympics to represent both.”

This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 7:00 AM.