GBR CADET SUCCESS IN CABRIES

The Cadet Women’s and Men’s Foil Teams enjoyed a very successful weekend at the EFC competition in Cabries, France, at the weekend.

There were 167 starters and Amelie Tsang (ZFW) finished in the Silver medal position in the Women’s Foil competition. Amelie’s preparation period for the competition had been severely disrupted by a forearm injury and this was her first competition since September.

In her first round poule, Amelie won 5/5 and was seeded 14th going into the DE draw. She then had a very comfortable journey through to the Last 16 . She beat Duchet Sauchax (FRA) 15 – 3 in the L128, Tropmann (GER) 15-6 in the L64, Gulisik (TUR) 15-5 in the L32 and Alik (FRA) 15-4 in the L16. She then edged out Berretta (ITA) 15-14 in the L8 before dispatching Collini (ITA) 15-12 in the semi-finals. The final match proved to be just beyond her and she lost to Pinna (ITA) 15-7. Given the challenges Amelie faced coming into this competition, this was a very impressive result and credit must go to Amelie, her support team and coach Pete Barwell.

Commenting on her result, Amelie said, “It was a tough day. I fenced  well but it was tiring towards the end. I was confident with all my actions. Things went going according to plan as I reached the final.  It was very disappointing not to win but overall I am thrilled with the result.”

Issy Johnson (FCL) produced a very credible 10th place finish, losing to Collini of Italy.

In the Men’s Foil competition, there were 182 starters and Callum Penman (Salle Holyrood) finished in the silver medal position. In the first round, Callum was 4/1 and was ranked 15th going into the DE.

In the L128 he beat Eby (FRA)15-7, then Pesce (ITA) 15-7 in the L64, before defeating Kim (SPA) 15-10 in the L32. He continued his journey to the final by defeating By Cristofaro (ITA) 15-9 in the L16, then Gkikas (GRE) 15 -5 in the L8.  He then drew two home fencers and defeated Barby (FRA) in the semi-finals 15-5 before falling at the final hurdle, losing to Dubreuil (FRA) 15 -7 in the final.

This result continued Callum’s impressive form this season, which previously include a gold medal finish in the Manchester EFC event in October. Credit must go to Callum’s coach, Keith Cook, and his support team.

Commenting on his medal, Callum said, “It was a great day’s fencing. I am annoyed that I couldn’t follow through in the final but still feel I fenced well throughout the day and I am very happy with the result.”

Keith Cook said, “Callum’s dedication and tenacity have been shown on the world stage with this result. I am so impressed with his performance and grit.”

The medal success continued in the Team events on Day 2 .

In the Women’s Foil Team event, Great Britain 1 finished in the Silver medal position.

The team of Maddi Beard, Megan Elliott, Issy Johnson and Zoë Wagstaff were seeded number 1 going into the DE. They beat Italy 3 45-29 in the L16, Germany 3 45-33 in the L8 , Italy 2 in the semi final before losing to Italy 1 45-36 in the final.

The medal success continued in the Men’s Team event, with the team of Mihkel Archer, Sebastian Beardmore Esteban, Aarav Chaudhari and Callum Penman finishing in the Bronze medal position. They too were seeded number 1 going into the DE and beat GB 3 45-31 in the L16, then beat France 2 45-30 in the L8 before losing 45-31 to Germany in the semi-finals. They won the 3rd/4th play off 45-44 against Italy 3.

Credit and thanks must go to the Athlete Development Programme (ADP) coaches, Ben Peggs and Dom Szokolovics, as well as the other personal coaches who gave their time selflessly and supported the other GB teams in the competition.

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