On the 5 April 2023, British foilist Amelie Tsang did something no other British woman had ever done by claiming the world title in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, aged just 16. I had the pleasure of talking to her at the beginning of September when, as she said, it was “only just sinking in”.
It was clear from the start that I was talking to a balanced, confident, determined and focussed young person but it was her humbleness that struck me most. Throughout the hour-long conversation she wanted to speak more about the people around her than she did herself.
“I was a very sporty and competitive kid doing netball, hockey, cricket and cross-country. We moved to Malaysia for a couple of years and I swam and did gymnastics at a competitive level, but when I came back to the UK it was different and I fell in love with fencing.” Amelie began fencing at Shortlands Fencing Club under the guidance of Corsini King. “My mum was the one that got us going in fencing. She fenced epee in Germany and encouraged me and my older sister to try the sport. My sister didn’t like it. Hockey was her sport.”
Having known Corsini for many years, it came as no surprise to me to hear Amelie say that he was the one to encourage her to move on to another club if she wanted to progress in the sport. The only problem was that this meant additional travel just to get to training.
Peter Barwell was based close to where Amelie lived but ZFW where he coached was just a bit too far to get to on a regular basis, given that she wanted to balance education and training. “I sparred with Chris Galesloot at Allez Fencing Club, at ZFW whenever I could and took lessons from Pete at Sevenoaks School. Dad did a lot of driving to make it all happen.”
Again, I was struck not only by the fact that she recognised at such a young age the sacrifices being made for her by others but also that there was a dedication to find a workable solution in form of a hybrid arrangement that involved Amelie sparring at two clubs throughout the week. Well done Pete and Chris!
Whilst complex and logistically challenging, success came early. Pete guided Amelie to her first victory at the under-10 British Championships. Amelie enthused about the time and effort Pete dedicated to her with early morning training a major feature. He also provided the perfect sounding board for Amelie’s inquisitive mind, happy to answer a myriad of questions, address concerns and showed a willingness to try new techniques, adapting his knowledge of the men’s’ game and applying it to women’s foil.
Ziemek’s role did not go unnoticed either. “He’s overseen my progression over the years, paving the way to becoming world class in many ways. He shares his passion for fencing with everyone. The whole club has played their part – sparring partners and the other coaches – they all played their part in my progression and encouraging me to succeed.” I found it interesting that whilst she talked about the nuances of fencing training, everything was underpinned by the support she continues to feel in the ZFW camp whether “it’s sharing a joke or a meal together.”
We moved on to talking about the immediate build up to the World title and by all accounts it was yet another challenge for Amelie. “The Europeans didn’t go well. I lost in the round of 16, 14-15 to Italian, Greta Collini, having been 14-11 up. I was so stressed in the weeks leading up to the Worlds because I was still carrying an injury and probably training harder than I should have been.”
“At the Worlds, I had the Junior individual event first and I didn’t perform at the level I expected from myself. I was down going into the Cadet event the next day but Pete was phenomenal in taking the pressure off, and guiding me through. He said ‘don’t worry, it’s only fencing, just go and enjoy it’, I didn’t feel great though. I was tired and my legs weren’t working. I was waiting for the moment my (injured) arm was going to start hurting.”
“The first DE was fine – a 15-3 win against Australian, Neve O’Neil but my next fight was the hardest that day against Marta Jakubowska from Poland. I didn’t feel the best mentally and I know my performance wasn’t brilliant but I won 15-12. After that fight I saw my draw. The Canadian number one seed and Junior bronze medallist from the day before, Yunjia Zhang was out and I realised then that I was in with a real chance of a medal.”
“I managed to pull it together and won the next two fights (against Garyfallou (GRE) and Kuritzky (ISR)) to make the semis. At that point I knew the season’s work wasn’t for nothing, like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. After that I just said to myself ‘keep going’. In the semi-final it was 14-14 against Hong Kong’s Wong Shun. I thought that if I let her win, Collini would probably take the world title; she is a fencer you need to fight to understand how she fights. You can see the shock on my face when I realised I had landed my stop-hit against Wong and had just made it into the final of the World Championships. There’s a photo of the shock on my face, aka ‘Amelie’s Scream’!”.
“I now had to face the opponent I lost to at the Europeans, Collini. At 14-11 up, I knew I had to attack and when I did, I couldn’t believe I had done it. I was literally speechless.”
Clearly an incredible day for Amelie and one that she was so happy to share with both of her parents. “My superstitious Dad was glued to his seat during the finals and wouldn’t move. It was really nice to have my mum there too as she hadn’t originally planned on going.”
“The noise from the team GB squad really that carried me through the final stages of the competition. I will never forget their cheering.”
Ever the pro, Amelie went straight on to talking about the team event the next day. “I was so exhausted and in so much pain, I couldn’t fall asleep that night and had butterflies because of all the excitement about the title.” The team went on to make the quarterfinals, losing out to a strong Italian team.
Demonstrating maturity beyond her years, Amelie was speaking to me ahead of the British Cadet and Junior Championships. “I’m not competing this weekend because of my tennis elbow. I’m in rehab at the moment, doing S&C, footwork and going to the gym. I learnt from last season about coming back too early, and so am focussing on my recovery. “
Whilst unable to train at full pelt, Amelie is certainly not sitting on the couch doing nothing. “I changed schools last year as I wouldn’t have been able to balance the International Baccalaureate programme at my previous school alongside my fencing. I’m now doing my A Levels in Spanish, German and Economics and planning to study International Relations. I’m keeping my options open and even considering taking a gap year to focus on my fencing. Such is Amelie’s appeal those options include approaches from various US universities keen to recruit her for their fencing programmes. Her immediate focus though was clearly on her exams.
What does the fencing future hold for Amelie? “My aim is to be fit and ready for the Euros and Worlds. The goal is the Olympics of course – LA28 or Brisbane 32 are targets.”
“It’s a busy year with my A-levels too so I have lots to focus on. I’m frustrated about not being able to train and compete properly, but 90% of my body is still functioning so there’s always something I can be improving on! Hopefully I’ll be fit for the Senior World Cup in Paris in January.” “Managing the differences between Cadet, Junior and Senior fencing is difficult as each level comes with its own challenges. Distance is the key.” ⚔️
KARIM BASHIR