UKSG fencers head to Amsterdam
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
The best fencers from this summer's UK School Games have been selected to represent Great Britain in the European Under-20 Championships in Amsterdam this month.
In the Men's Foil, UK School Games champion James Davis and bronze medallist Husayn Rosowsky have won their selection with a raft of fine results throughout the season including winning bronze medals at the European & World U17 championships respectively, while Men's Epee Champion James May (fifth in last season's World U17 championships) also joins them.
The last three to qualify from the 2008 UK School Games are all from Women's Sabre: Grace O'Connell, Jess Davies and Sophie Williams, placed first, second and third respectively in this summer's Games. This in particular highlights the strength of young fencers in this weapon.
The European Championships will bring together some of the best U20 talent in the world; the competition is comparable to the World Championships in terms of strength (Europe is the powerhouse of world fencing) and is one of the toughest events on the calendar as a result.
The team is experienced with the high level of competition: all the members have represented Britain in international events at U17 and U20 level. This coupled with the recent experience of the UK School Games for six of its members, means that all Britain's competitors are well prepared for this important competition.
The UK School Games have also been instrumental in shaping the other members of the team. Of the 24 fencers travelling to Amsterdam 23 have competed in the UK School Games.
Seven members of this Great Britain team took part as referees and volunteers at the Bristol and Bath UK School Games. Four of the officials were also involved in running the 2008 UK School Games.
This undeniably shows that the UK School Games have become an integral part of fencing in Britain, and are a great stepping-stone on the road to international success.
Click here to find out more about the UK School Games