She’s known for her scream.

One writer at Harvard Magazine called it an “almost terrifying release of aggression.”

It’s the sound that warns “I’m here, if you missed me,” the ear-piercing climax of a forceful assault. It’s the sound of Emily Cross, 21, one of four women’s foil fencers who’s prepared to attack for Team USA.  

Fencing is often described as physical chess. Athletes anticipate their opponent’s next move and then think two or three moves ahead.

Cross, a captain on the Harvard fencing squad, calls it a “great blend of athleticism and intellect. “You can’t just be strong. You can’t just be fast. You also have to be smart. You have to think of your tactics,” she says.
 

The former New Yorker first picked up a foil as a child when her father, who fenced in college, suggested she and her brother try the sport as a hobby.

“It started as a father-daughter activity, something we’d do every Sunday,” recalls Cross, whose mother is Korean.

Then, it spiraled into something more.

Cross started winning — often. In 2005, as a freshman at Harvard, she earned the national individual title, becoming the first Harvard and fifth Ivy woman to achieve that distinction. Now sitting at No. 12, she is the highest ranked U.S. female fencer ever in the world standings.

“No female fencer at Harvard has ever been so talented or as determined to do what Emily has done,” says the university’s head coach Peter Brand.

Today, having taken time off from school, Cross practices her throws and footwork for hours each day. While fencing is an individual sport, she says getting to know her teammates has made her Olympic experience so much richer.

When it’s all over, Cross intends to refocus on her studies — she’s a biology major who plans to become a doctor — but for now, she’s got metal on the brain.  

On her chances of standing on the podium: “It’s a possibility,” she says. “Somewhat of a far-off possibility. It will depend on the day. But anything’s possible.”