Igor and Irina Chirashnya have the magic touché when it comes to their Campbell fencing academy.

Their Academy of Fencing Masters at 86 Railway Ave., has been ranked No. 1 in the National Fencing Club Youth Championships for the 2016-17 season.

The recognition is based on the total of number of top eight medals awarded in the 16 Super Youth Circuit tournaments. Their students brought home 11 gold, 12 silver, 12 bronze medals and 72 medals in total.

The ranking was a group effort.

“No one alone can get it,” said Irina. “It’s the hard work of everyone here.”

But Igor said the recognition it just one milestone, and he has a bigger goal in mind for the sport.

“We want to make fencing to be as recognizable in United States as any mainstream sport,” he said.

The Chirashnya’s said their academy’s success is due to its coaches, family support and dedicated fencers.

“We want to give kids access to this talent no matter what their skill level is,” Igor said. “We want to have all coaches to be of good caliber so every child has an equal opportunity. There is no favoritism. Our most decorated fencer will take exactly the same program and coach as the newcomer, and I think it makes a big difference.”

As a former competitive youth fencer, Igor coaches beginning students as well as fencers who travel around the world to competitions. Irina, he said, is the “soul” of the academy, talking with parents, growing the business and seeing what each family needs.

The Chirashnya family is deeply rooted in the sport. Igor fenced in the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago.

“One of my father’s best friends was the fencing coach of Uzbekistan,” Igor said. “He raised many world champions. He was one of the best coaches. When I turned 9my father said, ‘Joseph, he’s yours now.’”

Before opening the academy, Igor worked in high tech for SanDisk and eventually started his own company and sold it.

The Chirashnya’s children, two sets of fraternal twins, are all fencers. Irina said their children fell in love with fencing while watching Igor train. When their first set of twins wanted to learn the sport, that’s when she envisioned a fencing school.

“They saw the beautiful dance that fencing is,” Irina said.

When the academy first opened in 2013 its enrollment was modest. During the peak season, Igor says, there are 180 students of all ages. He keeps track of each student’s progress, technique and competitions with an extensive Excel spreadsheet.

“I like transforming lives,” Igor said, adding that fencing is a sport for any body type and helps shy children gain confidence. “Fencing, like any other sport, is about transforming lives.”

The couple is thinking about expanding the academy. During the fall they will offer classes through San Jose community centers.

“It’s a great sport that can become a lifelong passion,” Igor said.

Both write a support blog for parents who have children in fencing, whether it is at a competitive level or recreational. Irina focuses more on the parental support and “uniform hacks” while Igor focuses more on the technical aspect of the sport.

For more information, visit academyoffencingmasters.com