Student wins Bronze at Junior World Fencing Championships

First year philosophy student and King’s Sport Performance Athlete Rajan Rai has returned from the Junior World Fencing Championships with a bronze medal after Great Britain overcame Latvia to secure third place in the Junior Men’s Team Foil.

The result was a first major international podium for the Newham-based fencer who was competing in his second Junior (U-20) championships, having made his debut in 2015.

Foil, one of three fencing disciplines - each characterised by different weapons and scoring - uses a light, thrusting sword to secure points by hitting the opposition body area with the tip only. In the team format there are 9 rounds of 3 minutes duration with rotating fencers aiming to amass 45 points.

Taking place in Bourges, France between Friday 1st - Sunday 10th April, Rajan had begun the championships aiming for a high-placed finish in the individual junior men’s fencing competition, having placed 45th the previous year. An early exit from the draw in the first round on Thursday however meant a rapid re-focus towards Sunday and the junior team event.

In what would prove to be Great Britain’s best performance of the entire Championships, the 4-man foil team began Sunday with Rajan playing a key anchoring role as the fencers saw off first Venezuela, then Egypt to advance to the quarterfinals. Here, Great Britain would come up against the number one seeded USA team, where, defying the rankings, they that emerged victorious after a tightly fought 45-41 contest to set up a semi-final match against Japan.

In that semi-final it was the vigorous energy of a Japanese team that would go on to claim overall gold which was to ultimately stall British progress towards the final.

Vying instead for the third podium step, Rajan and teammates would meet Latvia in the third-place final. Through the early rounds Great Britain built a lead - even enjoying a cushion of 12 points after seven rounds - before a Latvian come back ensured Rajan would be kept defensive through the eighth round. It was only in the ninth and final round that a final flourish of points saw Great Britain emerge comfortably as winners, 45-35 the final score.

The result produced Great Britain’s only medal of the championships, and, following the end of tournament, the King’s Sport Performance Athlete credited the team’s mindset in being able to deliver a performance.

‘I was confident in my teams ability to give a fight and in my own to deliver the final points that secured our place though to the next stage ’.

The medal also rounds off a successful Junior age-group career which has also seen Rajan win both the British Junior Championships and UK Schools’ Games Championships in 2015. From next season Rajan will move up to compete at senior level.

Congratulations to Rajan and the entire Great Britain Junior Foil team!

 Watch the final rounds of the 3rd place final here

Watch Rajan's medal ceremony here

 Images of Rajan in action during the Junior Men's Team Foil finals.

Above, Rajan (foreground, second left) and teammates receive the bronze medal in the Junior Men's Team Foil.