Sophie Strikes Gold

Our Ambassador of Goodwill and Sponsored candidate for the 2012 Olympics, made a promising start to the year in January by winning the Advalus Pro Sabre Competition, one of the major highlights in the British Fencing calendar.

After winning all her fights in the poule stage, Sophie eased into the elimination round as the top seed. Convincing wins against Hannah Nelson (15-2), Alex Carroll (15-10) and Helen Fairhead (15-11), earned her a place in the semi-finals against teammate Louise Bond-Williams, a former Olympian ranked number one in Britain, and one of Sophie’s main competitors for this year’s Olympic Games.  After trading hit for hit at the start, Sophie managed to secure a small but tactical lead just before the half time break. By changing tactics and focusing on one hit at a time, Sophie maintained her lead and eventually went on to win 15-10.

Despite the mounting pressure, Sophie went into the finals with even more gusto and determination. After securing an early lead against her opponent Kira Roberts, she quickly saw off the challenge and won the fight convincingly 15-8, earning her the Women’s Pro Sabre title!