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