Meet the Coaches at the Fencing Academy of Westchester

Free Introductory Lesson | Olympic-Level Training | Over 100 Years of Combined Experience

Free Introductory Lesson

Olympic-Level Training

Over 100 Years of Combined Experience

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Hours:

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An Alternative to Standard Sports Education

At Fencing Academy of Westchester, we incorporate the latest in sports training practices to accelerate our students' improvement and help them expand their potential. The biggest obstacle to athletic development is boredom. The best way to achieve excellence in sports, school, and everything else, is to have fun with what you are doing. To learn more, please fill out our online form to request a call back.

Vadim Diambekov

Epee Coach, Owner

Vadim Diambekov is originally from a very beautiful place in the Caucasian mountains. He has been fencing since he was five when he first met his famous coach Nikolaychuk.


Vadim comes from the world's most renowned and robust fencing schools of CSKA. He has more than 20 years of experience as a fencing coach and a Master's in Sports, the highest athletic degree in Russia. Having combined his athletic education and physical training techniques, he developed his own unique style of teaching fencing.


Vadim is proud of his students who medaled in American National Championships and World Cups. Many of his athletes compete in prestigious NCAA leagues.

Vadim Diambekov
Anton Kuksa

Anton Kuksa

Saber Head Coach

Anton has a specialist degree in Physical Education and Fencing from the Republican Higher School of Physical Education in Kiev.


Anton was a:

  • Silver medalist at the Cadet World Championship (2005)
  • Bronze medalist at the European Championship (2005)
  • Silver medalist at the Junior World Championship (2006)
  • Gold medalist at the European Championship (2006)
  • Gold medalist at the Junior World Championship(2007)
  • Gold medalist at the European Championship (2007)


From 2011 to 2012, Anton was the head coach of the Ukrainian national Junior and Cadet saber fencing team. He began coaching at the Fencing Academy of Westchester in 2013. His students have won numerous medals at National and International Competitions.

Petar Janicijevic Agatonovic

Foil Coach

  • Has a record for being undefeated in Independent School Fencing League (ISFL) for 2 years in a row (2017 and 2018)
  • MVP and Coaches award recipient from the Masters School for Fencing '
  • Member of the Serbian National Team (2016-2019)
  • Reserves on the Serbian National Team Currently 
  • Fenced Division 1 at Pennsylvania State University and Sacred Heart University
  • Held top 30  World Ranking from (2016-2017)
  • Third Place in Thessaloniki, Greece World Cup
  • Second Place NEIFC #3
  • NCAA Honorable Mention 2022



Renal Ganeev

Rainer Dragon

Saber Coach

-Began fencing saber in 2010 in New York City with Peter Westbrook Foundation/Fencers Club.

-Coaching and refereeing since 2016, over 14 years of experience refereeing and coaching combined.


As a Coach:

-Served as the Nigerian Head Saber Coach at the 2021 African Olympic Qualifying Zonals in Cairo, Egypt 

-Coached Olaode to the finals, where Olaode took 2nd place Cairo, Egypt (April 2021)

-Strip coached multiple athletes in all three weapons at the national and regional levels.

-Coached at multiple NYC and Westchester County private school programs.


As a Referee:

-Division 1 Women's Saber Championship Finals bout (April 2022)

-Junior Olympic Men and Women's Finals in both Saber and Epee 

-Division 1 Men's Saber and Epee top 8 bouts

-Semi-final in Division 2 Women's Foil Championship 

-Countless regional finals in all three weapons Foil, Saber, Epee.

-Countless bouts in the collegiate circuits in Ivy, Big 10 dual meets 

-Head Referee and Assigner at the Collegiate duals held at Vassar College (November 2021) 

-Selected to referee Columbia University's home meets in 2020, 2021, 2022.


As an Athlete:

-Placed top 16 at the Division 1A Women's Saber Championships in Minneapolis, MN (July 2022)

-Regional Division 1A Saber Champion and top 8 finisher (2017-2023)

-Maintained Top 16 on the Division 1A national points list (2015-2023)

-Competed at the Viking Cup in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2019

-Recruited as an athlete for a NCAA Division 1 program in NYC (2022)