Category: People
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Interview: James-Andrew Davis
James-Andrew Davis, the 2014 European Champion, has officially retired from competition. Based in the USA for a number of years, he spoke to BF just after returning from the USA Nationals where he was coaching athletes from the Massialas Foundation, known as Mteam. He spoke to BF in July. You’re calling time on your career…
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Oliver Lam-Watson: a family story
Wheelchair fencer Oliver Lam-Watson qualified for his second Paralympic Games in June 2024, after competing and winning two team medals at Tokyo 2020. “What’s different about Paris to Tokyo? God, everything, I guess, and also nothing at the same time. There’s gonna be a crowd this time. We didn’t have that in Tokyo. There’s almost…
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Fencing For Change: Tsavora Mtaani
Since 2021, in a poverty-stricken part of Nairobi, Kenya, the Tsavora Mtaani Fencing Club aims to deliver hope and change. Organised by Kenyan international Mburu “Faruq Brown” Wanyoike, who came from a tough background in Nairobi, the club offers direction for younger people and – just maybe – the chance of a very different life.…
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Cardiff 2024: Community & Legacy
In January 2024, British Fencing hosted the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup at the National Centre in Cardiff. This was the first major international World Cup level event for over a decade, and a hugely prestigious event for UK fencing. As well as a sporting occasion, it represented multiple communities coming together and a solid legacy…
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Amelie Tsang: I just said to myself ‘keep going’
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…
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How I Do It: Dimitri Coutya
Dimitri Coutya took home four medals from Tokyo 2020, and he is the current number one in the world in Cat B Foil. He is a three time world champion, a four time European champion, and is expected to play a major role at Paris 2024. He spoke to Karim Bashir for The Sword in…
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Jaimie Cook: The Road To Paris
At his first Senior World Championships, Jaimie Cook opened his account with six victories from six in the poule, sending him straight through to the round of 64, where he joined fellow foilists Marcus Mepstead and Kristjan Archer in the last stage of the individual competition. It was one of the more spectacular starts to…