Our Coaches

Dmitriy Guy: Founder and Head Coach

Dmitriy Guy stands out as one of the preeminent fencers and coaches in the United States. With a background as a former professional saber fencer for the USSR fencing team, Dmitriy holds the esteemed title of Soviet Union National Champion and has reached the finals at two Junior World Championships. His success extends to the United States, where he proudly holds the titles of US Open champion and a two-time Maccabiah Gold Medalist.

Beyond his personal accomplishments, Dmitriy's impact as a coach is profound. His students have achieved remarkable success, boasting titles such as World Champions, US Open Champions, and World Cup Medalists. Adding to his accolades, Dmitriy has served as the national coach of the US fencing team, bringing his expertise to bear in crucial international competitions at the cadet, junior, and senior levels.

Konstantin Lokhanov OLY: Lead Saber Coach

Konstantin (Kostya) Lokhanov has consistently stood out as a top-tier fencer on the global stage throughout his career. In the Cadet category, Kostya has secured multiple World medals. During his Junior years, he held the prestigious rank of number 1 in the world from 2016 to 2018, as recognized by The International Fencing Federation (FIE). His notable achievements include winning four Junior World Championships and earning a bronze medal at the European Championships. As a senior, he achieved a commendable 7th place individually at the 2019 World Championship.

In 2021, Kostya realized his Olympic dream, representing his country at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Now, as an enthusiastic young coach, Kostya brings his extensive knowledge of modern fencing and a unique career perspective, ready to share his insights with our LJFA/Spartak students.

Josh Runyan: Saber Coach

As a coach, Josh served as Associate Head Coach and/or Head Saber Coach of the UC San Diego fencing team for 20 years, developing numerous NCAA All Americans and successful collegiate athletes. He also chaired the BladeRunner tournament for 14 years and served as commissioner of the Western Fencing Conference for six years. As an early coach for Spartak, many of his fencers went on to succeed in USA Fencing and were recruited by colleges throughout the country. Josh holds Master of Saber and Prévôt certifications in foil from the US Fencing Coaches Association and served as Collegiate Director for four years.

As a fencer, Josh is one of La Jolla Fencing Academy’s original fencers and among Dmitriy’ Guy's first students. He won the 2019 Veteran World Championship in Cairo, Egypt, along with silver, bronze, and team gold medals at Veteran World Championships. He has also won multiple USA Fencing National Championships and North American Cups.

A Marine Corps and Navy veteran and former fighter pilot, Josh represented the United States at five Armed Forces World Championships. He holds a BA in History and an MA in Christian Apologetics.

Pavel Nikitin: Saber Coach

Pavel (Pasha) Nikitin, a highly experienced professional athlete in fencing, has achieved recognition since his cadet years, earning accolades from European and Russian national championships. As a former member of the Russian national team, Pasha clinched a gold medal at Coupe du Monde in Poland. Prior to joining La Jolla Fencing Academy, he excelled not only as a referee in various international tournaments but also as an instructor of saber fencing.

Currently serving as a coach for LJFA/Spartak club, Coach Pasha imparts his extensive knowledge to diverse age groups through group sessions and private lessons. His coaching philosophy aims to inspire young fencers to scale new heights in their endeavors. Pasha holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the esteemed Olympic Reserve College in Saint Petersburg, Russia, solidifying his educational background in the field.

Zara Fearns: Saber Coach

Zara Fearns is an accomplished NCAA Division I fencer and UC San Diego graduate, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Clinical Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. During her NCAA career, Zara earned over 100 career wins and won three consecutive MPSF Individual Championships, becoming the first fencer in conference history, across any weapon or gender, to achieve this accomplishment. In her senior year, she served as team captain and received UC San Diego’s Mark Applebaum Academic Scholar Athlete of the Year Award after graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She was also named to UCSD’s All-Triton Scholar Athlete Team, recognizing the top eight performing athletes across the university’s 24 Division I teams. Throughout her collegiate career, Zara received multiple USFCA, CSC and MPSF All-Academic honors.

Zara continues to compete at the national level and is currently ranked among the top 36 women’s saber fencers in the United States. She has represented the United States internationally at the 2025 World University Games and the 2025 Senior Sabre World Cup in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. For the 2026–2027 season, Zara plans to continue her international career representing Team Great Britain.

As a coach at LJFA/Spartak, Zara brings her NCAA and international competitive experience to help develop the next generation of fencers and support athletes in achieving their individual goals at every stage of their fencing journey.

Eduard Zilinskiy: Foil Coach

Eduard Zilinskiy is a highly experienced third generation fencer and coach with a lifelong connection to the sport. As a fencer, Eduard competed in both foil and épée at the highest national levels, earning five national medals, including a team national championship.

Eduard was also an NCAA Division I foil and épée fencer at UC San Diego, where he served as team captain, won an individual conference championship, and was part of four conference championship winning teams. He later returned to UCSD as a foil coach, helping lead the program to three MPSF Championships and multiple NCAA Championship qualifiers, as well as several All American finishes.

As a coach, Eduard has worked with fencers ranging in age from 6 to 70 and at every level, from beginners and local competitors to athletes competing internationally. His students have achieved success at all levels, from local cup champions to World Cup medalists.

Eduard brings positive energy, enthusiasm and a personalized approach to every lesson. He believes fencing is about more than developing technical and competitive skills. It is an opportunity to build discipline, confidence, resilience, focus and character. His goal is to help each student reach their full potential both on the fencing strip and in life.