It’s a big dream: The United States has won only a handful of fencing medals in Olympic history, none of them gold.

But Alexander Massialas is currently the world’s top-ranked men’s fencer in foil, one of the three swords used in the sport. His teammate Gerek Meinhardt, another San Francisco native trained by Greg Massialas, is ranked No. 3. Their Olympic teammates, both from New York, are also ranked in the top 10.

“We’ll go into the Olympics as one of the top-ranked teams,” Alexander Massialas said. “If we don’t win gold, it will be kind of a disappointment.”

‘Wild West of fencing’

Massialas — deemed the most “Cali” of all the U.S. fencers — is the product of a dream his father turned into reality in an unlikely place.

“When I came out here, it was the Wild West of fencing,” Greg Massialas said. “But I had a vision.”

The elder Massialas was born in Greece, but grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich. He started fencing as a boy through a recreation program. He went on to fence at Cornell University, won Ivy League championships, and became part of the national Olympic program. The national coach at the time, Michael D’Asaro, was coaching in San Jose. After college, Massialas came out to train with him, attracted primarily by the weather.

Massialas was at his peak as a fencer in 1980, the year the United States boycotted the Summer Olympics. He made the 1984 and 1988 teams, though, and later became an international referee. But life beyond the sport moved on: He got married to a woman who grew up in Taiwan, had a couple of kids and built a successful career selling advertising.

When he was trying to get Alexander into preschool at the Chinese American International School, someone suggested he should start an after-school fencing program there. So he did. His son was far too young to participate — Greg thought 7 was the right age to begin the sport — but the boy spent his afternoons watching the other kids fence, longing to do it himself.

“I was always pestering my dad to let me start earlier,” he said. “I loved it from the start.”

His program evolves

Massialas’ coaching program grew, and in the late 1990s, with the support of his wife, he decided to take the leap, leave his job and focus on coaching fencing. He started the Massialas Foundation Fencing Club, first located on South Van Ness and later moved to the Sunset. He had a plan to create a fencing power that could compete with traditional powers like Italy, France and Russia (the top fencing countries have a history of swordsmanship, rather than guns).

Olympic fencers tend to be older, but Massialas knew that wouldn’t work in the United States, where fencers wouldn’t receive the kinds of government subsidies they do in other countries.

“My goal was for them to peak at 22,” he said. “And to coach a style that would make a 22-year-old successful. Fencing is a cerebral sport, but it’s also very fast. Very athletic. Constant spurts of energy.”

Growing up, Alexander — now 22 — played soccer and basketball and swam. But fencing was always his priority. He went from the Chinese American school to the Drew School for high school. The summer after graduation, before enrolling at Stanford University, he became the youngest male athlete on the entire American 2012 Olympic team.

“London was surreal,” Massialas said. “It was electric.”

Plans on schedule

He finished 13th in London, while the U.S. team finished fourth, which, according to his dad’s plans, was pretty much on schedule. Greg Massialas, who has been the Olympic coach in both Beijing and London, will serve in that capacity again in Rio.

At Stanford, Alexander Massialas studied mechanical engineering and won the NCAA championship twice. He took a leave of absence last spring to concentrate on the Olympics and compete at events in St. Petersburg, Shanghai and Paris. He still heads to the campus twice a week to work out with a trainer and also see his college friends, who will graduate this month.

His younger sister, Sabrina, 19, fences at the University of Notre Dame and is also on the national team, though women’s foil is not part of the Rio competition, due to a rotation that takes one weapon out of competition each Olympics.

Walk in with Curry

Massialas is looking forward to his competition in Rio, but also the entire experience. Like so many Bay Area kids, he grew up a huge Warriors fan, and is hoping to walk in the Olympic opening ceremonies alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, all likely to represent the U.S. in basketball.

And then, he’ll compete.

“I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in, I’m a lot more experienced, stronger and smarter,” Massialas said. “We have a very good team.”

And big dreams. Of bringing a couple of gold medals back to the Sunset.

Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: annkillion