Well this is some great news out of Stevens Athletics. I really did not expect to follow the fencing events but I think I am going to be watching some of them now to see Coach Sankofa and what he has to say. The original link to the article is here by Rich Coyne.
HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 20, 2008) – Head Coach Maestro Mika’il Sankofa of the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s fencing team has been selected as the NBC analyst for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. With over 30 years of experience in the sport of fencing, Sankofa was selected for his expertise as a competitor, coach and commentator at the national fencing competitions.
“This is really a tremendous honor and I’m really looking forward to calling the various fencing events,” said Sankofa. “America is sending some very talented athletes to the Olympics, and I’m looking forward to educating viewers – new to the sport – as well as bringing the excitement that Olympic fencing competitions always generate.”
A U.S. Fencing Hall of Famer and member of the 1984, 1988 and 1992 U.S. Olympic fencing teams, Sankofa will be calling the Women’s Individual Sabre event scheduled to air on the USA network on Saturday, August 9. Then on August 14, the Women’s Sabre Team event will be broadcasted on MSNBC followed by the Men’s Sabre Team event on August 17.
In 2007, Sankofa was featured in the NCAA’s 100-year commemorative book. He was recognized for having won four consecutive national championships as a New York University student-athlete marking his accomplishment as one of the 50 greatest moments in NCAA history. Furthermore, Sankofa has posted 34 wins through his four years as head coach of the Ducks. He recently helped to produce the first foilist in Stevens’ history to have advanced to the NCAA Finals.