RIO DE JANEIRO — Cornell women's fencing rising junior Isabela Carvalho won a bronze medal in the women's senior individual sabre event at the 2025 Pan American Championships on Thursday evening.

Carvalho, competing for Team Brazil, won five of her six preliminary matches on Wednesday, which earned her the sixth seed out of 34 competitors. Four of Carvalho's five first-round wins were by just one point.

After receiving a first-round bye, Carvalho started the knockout stage of the tournament with a 15-11 victory over No. 27 seed Ana Alderete Chavez of Colombia before narrowly defeating her fellow Brazilian, No. 11 seed Karina Trois, 15-10, in the third round.

In the quarterfinals, Carvalho advanced to the semifinals after upsetting No. 3 seed Gabriela Hwang of Puerto Rico, 15-12, before losing to eventual gold medalist Maia Chamberlain, 15-6.

Chamberlain, the No. 2 seed from the United States, who earned three First Team All-Ivy and First Team All-American honors in her three years at Princeton, upset top-seeded Natalia Botello of Mexico, 15-12, in the championship match.

Carvalho and Team Brazil will compete for another medal on Saturday, June 28, in the women's senior team sabre event. Rounding out the 10-country field are Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Venezuela.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Isabela Carvalho (Brazil) def. Erika Christie (Bolivia), 5-1.
Carvalho def. Siobhan Sullivan (USA), 5-4.
Carvalho def. Catalina Sol Borrelli (Argentina), 5-4.
Odalis Judith Maldonado Delgado (El Salvador) def. Carvalho, 5-4.
Carvalho def. Vanessa Chavez (Mexico), 5-2.
Carvalho def. Katherine Paredes Torres (Venezuela), 5-4.

DIRECT ELIMINATION RESULTS
Second Round: No. 6 Isabela Carvalho (Brazil) def. No. 27 Ana Ma Aldrete Chavez (Columbia), 15-11
Third Round: 6-Carvalho def. 11-Karina Trois (Brazil), 15-10.
Quarterfinals: 6-Carvalho def. 3-Gabriela Maria Hwang (Puerto Rico), 15-12.
Semifinals: 2-Maia Chamberlain (United States) def. 6-Carvalho, 15-6.