Fencing: Stephanie Collister strikes gold at British Under 20 National Championships

Oct 13 2011 Chester Chronicle

Fencing: Stephanie Collister strikes gold at British Under 20 National Championships

A TEENAGE fencer has underlined her undoubted potential by becoming a British champion.

Stephanie Collister, 16, of Boughton, struck gold in the foil discipline at the British Under 20 National Championships, held at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

The Christleton High School pupil came out on top despite going into the competition ranked ninth.

Stephanie said: “I knew I had to fence well in order to compete with the main contenders. It was one of those days when everything just clicked into place.”

Former British junior champions have gone on to represent Great Britain at the Olympics – and Stephanie would love to follow in their footsteps.

“Obviously the Olympics are the pinnacle of any athlete’s career and that is my ultimate goal,” she said. “By winning these championships I feel that I’m proving to myself and others that I’m capable of fulfilling my dream.”

More than 50 of Britain’s top junior fencers made the trip to Sheffield.

Ably assisted by her personal coach and one-time senior British international Jayne Hanlon, Stephanie went about task with drive and focus.

She won all five of her fights in the poules stages, conceding only eight points, before progressing through the knockout rounds to the final, where she faced long-time rival Alex Craig.

The Chester fencer fell behind and looked to be heading for defeat when she trailed 9-6. But she stuck to her game plan and won nine of the next 11 points to secure a magnificent victory.

“Even when I was behind, I was confident that I’d be able to pull it back,” said the teenager, a Wales international who qualifies through her Welsh mother. “It’s a great achievement for me to win the title at such a young age and it’s given me the confidence and hunger to want more success.”

The victory means that Stephanie’s goal of qualifying for the world and European championships is still very much on the cards.

She now faces four international competitions before Christmas, with trips to Hungary, Poland, Germany and France all on her busy schedule.

The trips are self funded and Stephanie’s parents are searching for potential sponsors to help cover the travel costs.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Stephanie can email the family at: collys@leeway2.wanadoo.co.uk.