SHAKESPEARE’S Swords fencers won three bronze medals at the British Youth Championships in Sheffield.
Stratford trio William Buxton, Louis Welzel and William Thomas all stood on the podium for the first time in their respective boys sabre categories at the premier domestic event of the season for young fencers.
Buxton, aged 14, is in his first year in the under-16 age group and competed against opponents with a lot more experience.
And the Stratford School student came away with bronze after recently returning from Challenge Wratislavia – a prestigious international youth event – where he secured a top-16 finish in a strong end to the season for the GBR under-17 squad member.
KES student Welzel secured his bronze in the under-14’s category while fellow KES youngster Thomas showed maturity beyond his years to lead the under-12 competition after the poules only to succumb to a more experienced rival in his semi-final.
Coach Chris Buxton said: “It was a great weekend for the club.
“We had a total of 23 fencers qualify for this most prestigious event, many of them for the first time, and came away not just with three medals but also a raft of top placements.”
Also in the under-14 boys category, Innes Ireland placed 12th with Benin Fernandez 13th while Rapha Bedford came seventh with Ruben Fernandez 11th in the under-16 boys event.
And Harshil Khosla placed seventh in the under-12 boys category with Charlotte Franklin 14th in the under-12 girls event.
