durham university fencing club
Durham University Fencing Club has a long-standing reputation for being one of
the leading programmes in British University Sport, and is currently the #1
university fencing club in the country. Facilities, Coaches, and Training The
club boasts the only purpose-built university fencing salle in the UK, with four
permanent metal pistes, four training pistes, and one wheelchair fencing frame.
In addition to phenomenal facilities, Durham also has a top-class training
programme. Club sessions are run by head coach Laszlo Jakab, who has coached
athletes to become Olympic, Commonwealth, and National Champions in all three
weapons. Assistant coach Stewart Watson has also returned from a stint as
performance director for Singapore Fencing, and similarly offers one-to-one
lessons. In addition to training, team fencers can also take part in Strength
and Conditioning sessions, run by the University’s Performance Sport Programme.
Performance Fencing The club’s top teams are regular winners of BUCS, a
competitive league in the UK comparable to the NCAA. BUCS takes place throughout
the year in both a League and knockout Cup format. Both 1st teams were BUCS
Champions in 2020, a title now claimed by the men’s team 4 times. The men’s 1st
team has also reached the finals of the Cup for 4 years of the last 5, and the
women’s 1st team for 3. The club won three gold medals at the BUCS National
Individual Championships 2020, two of which were by members of our women’s 1st
team. The talent that we have attracted is testament to the strength of our
programme. Many of our performance fencers have represented their nations at
World and European Championships, Commonwealth, Pan American, and Central
American games. Central American Champion Ivania Carballo won gold for a sixth
time in 2019 during her Master’s degree at Durham. In 2020, we were joined by Ju
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