Eugenia Escuerdo was the daughter of Angel Escuerdo, then the master of arms at Mexico’s Military College. From her father she learned foil and sabre fencing, as well as rifle and pistol target shooting, and soon began winning local tournaments in all of these sports alongside her sisters Carolina and Esperanza. She began to garner national recognition and attended the 1932 Mexican Olympic fencing trials, where she finished first in the foil division. She was therefore selected to represent her native country at the 1932 Summer Olympics, where she lost all six of her bouts in the individual foil tournament and was eliminated in the first round. She was also bestowed the honor of carrying her nation’s flag in the opening ceremony of the Games. She retired from active competition in 1940, the same year that her father died, and married Hans Joseph Beckhoff Urcuyo, settling down to family life.
Mexico