V.I. Born Fencer Representing U.S. Falls in Sabre Quarterfinals

Daryl Homer, a St. Thomas-born fencer who represents the United States in the Tokyo Olympics, was defeated Tuesday in the men’s sabre team quarterfinal, falling to Mohammad Rahbari of Iran by a score of 30-21.

Rahbari recorded five touches to four for Homer.

Homer, 31, who won a silver at the 2016 Rio Games and is currently ranked 17th in the world, did not advance in the men’s individual sabre on Saturday in Tokyo, losing to Mohamed Amer of Egypt, 15-11.

On Wednesday, Team USVI archer Nicholas D’Amour, ranked 23rd with 660 points after the men’s recurve qualifying round on Friday, will face Ryan Tyack of Australia, ranked 42nd with 650 points, in an elimination match at 11:06 p.m. ET (12:06 p.m. July 29 in Tokyo).

D’Amour, 19, a student at the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas, ranks fourth in the world for the men’s Olympic recurve going into the games and is considered a strong contender for a medal.

Nikki Barnes, 27, who was born on St. Thomas and serves in the U.S. Coast Guard, will represent the USA in the women’s two-person dinghy-470 with crewmate Lara Dallman-Weiss on Wednesday. The pair are ranked 12th in the world in their class. Races are set to begin at 11:15 p.m. ET (12:15 p.m. Thursday, July 29 in Tokyo).

St. Croix native Adriel Sanes headed home after competing in his final event for the USVI, the men’s 200-meter breaststroke, on Tuesday morning at the Tokyo Olympics.

Sanes, 22, swam with a time of 2:16.87 in the second heat of the semifinals, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the finals. On Saturday, he swam the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:02.43, narrowly missing his personal best time of 1:02.41 – the record for the fastest time in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Natalia Kuipers, 19, of St. Croix, also is headed home after representing the USVI in the women’s 400-meter freestyle semifinals on Sunday morning at the Tokyo Aquatics Center with a time of 4:39.42, falling short of qualifying for the finals in her event.