QE boys in the medals at fencing championships

Year 10’s Noah Green secured first place and won a gold medal at the regional School Fencing Summer Championships, while fellow pupil Yaw Hayfron took bronze.

Noah’s victory came as he competed for the very first time in an individual capacity.

Both boys started their fencing careers at QE, where it has long been a co-curricular sports activity and is part of the QE Flourish programme.

Director of Sport Jonathan Hart said: “It’s great to hear of these successes on the piste – my congratulations go to both Noah and Yaw. Their performances at the championships really demonstrate the character, resilience and sportsmanship that fencing at QE seeks to develop in the boys.”

QE’s fencing coaches come from the Paul Davis Fencing Academy, which is based at the Hertfordshire Combat Centre in St Albans, where the championships were held.

The event drew more than 170 young fencers from across Hertfordshire and surrounding counties, giving them the opportunity to showcase the progress they had made during the academic year.

Noah started fencing while in Year 9. He has previously competed in team tournaments, but never as an individual. Reflecting afterwards on his success, he said: “I was really surprised to get it – totally unexpected, but really happy with the result, which was very encouraging and inspires me to keep competing.”

Yaw, who is in Year 9, started fencing when he was in Year 7. He won his bronze medal after coming in joint-third place at the championships.

“It is my first-ever medal at a tournament, and this was an individual tournament, too. So, it shows that I have improved a lot. I am so happy with my result,” Yaw said.

The youngest fencers at the championships were from Year 2 at primary school.