San Francisco Olympic Fencer Alexander Massialas Seeks Gold in Paris, Hopes to Cross Paths with Steph Curry

Alexander Massialas, a three-time Olympic fencer from San Francisco competing in Paris this summer, is used to intense training. He has experienced nearly every possible scenario on the fencing strip. But in 2021, on his way to the Summer Games in Tokyo, he hit a snag — the dread of any top athlete who has worked for years to reach this competitive summit.

“On the flight over to Tokyo, we were required to take a COVID test before getting on the plane, as well as taking one after we arrived,” he recalled. “I tested negative both times, but unfortunately, someone sitting near me on the airplane, another athlete, tested negative on the first test but positive once we arrived in Tokyo. And because of that, the Japanese government kind of sealed me away.”

Massialas, quarantined for two weeks, was unable to train with anyone. He said later on, he was eventually allowed to access the gym facilities at night when everyone else had left the building.

His coach and dad, Greg Massialas, said the situation affected his son’s performance. Alexander went on to earn a bronze medal in the team competition (in addition to silver and bronze medals in the individual and team competitions during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro).

READ MORE: How the Bay Area Turned Into An Olympic Fencing Powerhouse

“When you’re dealing with a very stressful situation, you end up not really being at your best,” Greg said. “He ended up, for example, in the individual event, losing to a fencer who was somebody that was on the tail end of his career and somebody that Alexander usually beat quite regularly.”

Alexander and Greg have both been on the Olympic circuit for a while. His dad competed in two Olympics, and his daughter and Alexander’s younger sister, Sabrina, is also a competitive fencer. Alexander, who’s recently been named head coach of the Stanford fencing program, his alma mater, first competed in the 2012 London Olympics at 18 years old — the youngest male athlete for Team USA at the time.

Alexander, 30, wants to go for the gold in Paris — the opening ceremony kicks off Friday and the fencing matches begin Saturday. He talked about competition and his motivation with KQED’s Brian Watt. Here’s an excerpt of their conversation, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.

BRIAN WATT: After all these years, the honors you’ve won on the fencing strip — the Olympics, the World Championship, World Cup, Grand Prix — do you think that you are still getting better at fencing?

ALEXANDER MASSIALAS: I do think that I’m getting better at fencing. The athleticism changes as you get older, but I’m still at pretty peak athletic ability. But what really has changed over the last several years is my mentality and my experience, and how I approach bouts mentally.

Last year, I was ranked No. 1 in the world after hitting a little bit of a slump. But the fact that I’ve been able to be No. 1 in the world as a 22-year-old, 23-year-old, as well as a 29-year-old shows that I’m still at the height of an extremely high caliber when we’re talking about my abilities.

This season, I won the first two World Cups of the international fencing season. So I know I can compete on any given day. That experience of just being on the circuit for so long and understanding the ins and outs of the game, whether it’s new or old opponents, I operate from a standpoint of being one of the most experienced fencers on the circuit.

I like to point out, as someone who has done a little fencing myself, that fencing is kind of a tedious sport to practice, even if it’s a noble sport to compete in. How do you stay motivated at this point? Is it all about the elusive gold medal?

It is more about just me loving the sport, and the love doesn’t just apply to competition. It means loving all the tedious aspects, too. You [have to] love the preparation. And, I think the day I lose love for it is going to be the day you see me either hang them up or start to see some worse results.

Is there anything outside of the competition that you’re looking forward to in Paris?

Absolutely. Just being in Paris in the summer is just going to be fantastic. But I think the biggest things I’m excited to do are everything I wasn’t able to do in Tokyo because of my quarantine: experiencing a real Olympic Games and meeting new athletes. Some of my really good friends have come from meeting at the Olympic Games under different circumstances, whether it was in London or Rio. And getting to meet new Olympians, like, hopefully, Steph Curry. I’m a big basketball fan. I played basketball growing up in San Francisco. So, being able to meet a childhood hero would be incredible.

So is that your moment?

The U.S. basketball team has always been very good about coming into the [Olympic] Village and interacting with the athletes, especially the American athletes. They signed on to do this because they’re interested in the Olympic experience, as well. So, you know, in the past, I’ve had great experiences with some of the previous Olympians, whether it’s Draymond [Green], Carmelo [Anthony], or whoever it might be. So maybe I’ll see [Curry] in the Village. Time will tell.

The fencing matches begin on Saturday. You can find a schedule here. You can learn more about the Bay Area athletes heading to the Paris Olympics here.