Jason Sim (left) and Reuben Beer at the Edgar Centre
yesterday. Photo by Craig Baxter.
The Lion Foundation Arena will play host to the foil,
sabre and epee this weekend as the national fencing
championships come to Dunedin.
The championships, which start today, will bring together
about 50 competitors from around New Zealand. There will also
be a few from overseas who are in New Zealand studying and
have entered.
New Zealand fencing coach Dave Barson, from Dunedin, said
though it was only a minority sport in the country,
competition should still be fierce and the standard high.
There are three competition grades: the foil, the sabre and
the epee, and many competitors over the weekend are lining up
in all three.
Barson said the sport was like most others as it
was a mixture of physical fitness and brain power, and
competitors of all ages would line up.
Dunedin last staged the championships in 2006, but this year
has the added value of having a raised platform at the venue
which should make the sport more spectacular.
Wellington's Ping Yuan will be fresh from her victory at the
Commonwealth championships in Melbourne last month. She won
the foil in Australia and will be one to beat this weekend.
There will be three mats at the arena, and duels taking place
throughout the day.
Finals will then start at 5.30pm today, and tomorrow.
On Monday, there will be a teams competition where three
fencers will team up to compete across the disciplines.
FENCING
Tools of the trade
• Foil: a light thrusting weapon; target is the
torso.
• Epee: a heavy thrusting weapon; target is the entire
body.
• Sabre: a light cutting and thrusting weapon; target
is the hip and above.
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