Here’s a brief news and media roundup for the fencing world for this week. It’s a combination of local, national, and international views of the sport as we prepare to head to London for the 2012 Olympic Games.
First off, what web roundup would be complete without highlighting some bit of media found online? This one is a set of photos of the London Olympics Fencing – in LEGO!
This one comes from the Facebook page of Fencing Hall, a local business in Hong Kong. Check out their wall photos for more!
Christian Bauer – Propelling Russian fencing to Olympic Medal Hopes
Christian Bauer has worked with the national teams of France, Italy, China and now he is in charge of the Russian sabre squad. The talented French specialist obviously has discovered some secret of bringing up Olympic champions as he has coached the last two Olympic winners in men’s sabre. He led an Italian fencer Aldo Montano to the Olympic triumph back in 2004, and 4 years later he achieved the same success with the Chinese athlete Zhong Man who celebrated a tremendous victory on his home soil in Beijing.
Valentina Vezzali and Mariel Zagunis are highlighted in the Reuters piece providing a 7 paragraph preview of the fencing events at the Olympic Games.
Big things to note: Vezzali, at age 38, is attending her 5th Olympics and is looking to win her 4th straight gold medal in women’s individual foil. She is the most decorated female fencer in history.
Mariel Zagunis, 27, is going for her 3rd straight gold medal in Women’s Saber and her shot at someday challenging Vezzali’s legacy.
The origin story of the Royal Swords Fencing Club in northern Virginia. Take a read:
“After spending several years with the tri-state fencing club, Frederick Wenzel decided that he wanted to begin a local club to cater to the Winchester and Front Royal area and help spread his knowledge and understanding of a sport that has been lost in a world of multi-million dollar athletes.”
France has high hopes for their Fencing Team
France has chosen fencing champion Laura Flessel-Colovic as their standard-bearer. Astrid Guyart is also mentioned as a rising star attending her first Olympic Games. (Plus, she designs space vehicles – how cool is that!)
Video: Fencing Sisters Represent San Antonio in 2012 Olympic Games
This is a good local TV news piece. Two San Antonio women (Courtney and Kelley Hurley) will cross foils with the best fencers in the world at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. From KABB Fox San Antonio.
Jeff Spear takes a Stab at the Olympics
Yes, we left the pun intact, though it would have been more apt if Jeff didn’t fence sabre. The road to the Olympics is a long and complicated one, where first, the United States has to qualify to send a team, and then the top three athletes are selected for the team based on points earned at select tournaments. The fourth-place finisher is named the replacement athlete. [Read More]
Monica Peterson is going to the Olympics for Canada in Women’s Foil
The lone British Columbian on Canada’s five-member Olympic fencing team, Peterson will be making her Olympic debut. She is ranked 31st in the world and finished 45th at the 2011 world championships. She won a bronze medal at the 2011 Pan-American Games.
These are just a few of the stories out there in the fencing world. If we missed something, please let us know by emailing us ([email protected]) or commenting here or on our Facebook page.
