Kamara James

Kamara Latoya James (November 23, 1984 – September 20, 2014) was an American Olympic épée fencer.[3][4]

Kamara James
2004 Fencing Olympians from Peter Westbrook Foundation, Keeth Smart, Erinn Smart, Ivan Lee, and Kamara James on far right
Personal information
Full nameKamara Latoya James
Born(1984-11-23)November 23, 1984
Kingston, Jamaica
DiedSeptember 20, 2014(2014-09-20) (aged 29)
Modesto, California, United States
Height5–5.5 (167 cm)[1]
Weight134 lb (61 kg)[1]
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportFencing
Event(s)women's individual épée
College teamPrinceton University[2]
ClubPeter Westbrook Foundation
Retired2004
Achievements and titles
World finalsbronze medal (junior world championships; 2003)
Highest world ranking50

James was born in Kingston, Jamaica, into a single-parent household. Her family moved to Jamaica, Queens, New York, when she was 10. She was given a full fencing scholarship to The Dwight School, an independent college preparatory school. She then attended Princeton University on a full academic scholarship.

James began fencing at age 11, through the Peter Westbrook Foundation. In 2003, she won a bronze medal at the junior world championships.

She competed in the women's individual épée event at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[1] James died at age 29, in September 2014.

Early life

James, who was Black, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1984, into a single-parent household.[5][6] Her parents separated before she was born; she met her father only once during her childhood.[7] Her mother, Sandra Fernandez,[7] remarried to Delano Fernandez when James was 7.

The family moved to Jamaica, Queens, New York, three years later.[7][8] She attended Public School 3 in Greenwich Village.[7] James' stepfather died of brain cancer two years later, in 1996.[7][9] James was given a full fencing scholarship to The Dwight School, an independent college preparatory school located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where annual tuition was $28,000.[6][7]

She scored a 1,510 on her SAT.[10] She then attended Princeton University on a full academic scholarship, majoring in religious studies.[6][11]

Fencing career

James began fencing at age 11 during fifth grade, through the Peter Westbrook Foundation, which had been set up by American Olympic bronze medalist Peter Westbrook to offer fencing lessons to inner-city children in New York.[5][7][9][10] Andrea Schwartz, one of her teachers at Public School 3, introduced her to Westbrook.[7]

From the age of 16, she was on the US Senior National Team in women's épée.[6] In 2003, she won a bronze medal at the junior world championships.[8]

She gained a world ranking of 50 in épée, which earned her a place on the Olympic team for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Morgan Stanley provided her with $50,000 towards her Olympic expenses after she served an internship at the firm.[7]

She competed in the 2004 Olympics as a 19-year-old, the only American in the women's individual épée event.[6][8][9] She was defeated 15–11 by 10th-seeded Russian Tatyana Logunova.[1][12]

She retired from competitive fencing after the Olympics.[6]

Later life

James returned to Princeton after the Athens Olympics.[6][8] James was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her senior year at Princeton, when she had a breakdown and was hospitalized for three months.[13][14][15]

She graduated in 2007 with a degree in religious studies.[6][8] She then was admitted into Harvard, to study for a master's degree in comparative religion.[6] She then participated in the opening of a fencing club in Greenwich, Connecticut, but subsequently suffered a second breakdown.[14]

In 2011, she moved to Modesto, California.[13]

James died at age 29, and was found September 20, 2014, in her apartment in Modesto, California.[4][8] Her death was reported by the U.S. Olympic team in mid-October 2014.[16] Her cause of death was not disclosed.[16] Friends and former teammates noted that she had a mental illness.[16][17] Friends indicated she had recently begun a new drug regimen to manage her condition.[17]

She was buried in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York on October 25, 2014.[18]

See also

References
  1. "Kamara James". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "US Fencing Olympian Kamara James passes away at 29". New Pittsburgh Courier. October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  4. "Coroner's Office seeking family of Modesto woman". Archived from the original on October 17, 2014.
  5. "Blacks Bound for Olympic Glory". Jet. August 16, 2004.
  6. "Olympian Kamara James Passes Away at Age 29". USA Fencing.
  7. Christian Red and Filip Bondy (August 15, 2004). "U.S. Fencer Kamara James' Incredible Journey of Inspiration; From N.Y.'s meanest streets to the world's most exclusive Olympic sport". NY Daily News.
  8. "Olympic fencer Kamara James dead at 29". the Grio. October 15, 2014.
  9. "James doesn't fit fencer's traditional profile". The Vindicator. August 11, 2004.
  10. Leon Powe. "For the Love Of the Game Since last Sept. 11 the traditional sporting virtues of courage, strength and endurance have meant more than ever. Here are the stories of 10 Americans who in that span have overcome personal adversity, physical limitations and the weight of time to achieve the kind of excellence that is its own reward". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014.
  11. "Kamara James Remembered". BBC.
  12. Schizophrenia.
  13. "Kamara James, Olympic Fencer Who Battled Schizophrenia, Dies at 29". People. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  14. "Olympic fencer, former Queens resident found dead in her California home". NY Daily News. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  15. "Olympic Fencer Kamara James Dies at 29". BET.com. October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  16. "Kamara James, U.S. Olympic fencer, dead at 29". UPI.
  17. "Kamara James, U.S. Fencing Olympian, Dies in Modesto". NBC Bay Area.
  18. "Grenada News".
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