Medals aplenty for Limpopo fencers
Fencers from the Limpopo Fencing Association secured nine medals at the KZN Open national ranking event held in Durban last week.
POLOKWANE – Promising fencer Anokha van Manen won three gold medals in both junior and senior women’s foil, as well as junior women’s epee.
She also won silver for senior women’s epee to add to her four medals in the bag.
Rahul van Manen (16) bagged the silver for junior men’s epee which brings his ranking to number two in the country in this category.
It was Rahul’s second entry into the senior men’s foil and he fought hard to win the bronze.
Safiya Khan-Patel from Sello Maduma Fencing Academy attained double bronze medals in both the cadet and junior women’s foil event.
McKayla Nel from Fire Birds Fencing Club, who took a sabbatical from the sporting code years ago, made a great comeback and bagged a silver medal in the junior women’s foil event.
The head coach of Sello Maduma Fencing Academy, Sello Maduma, praised the University of Limpopo (UL) fencers who made a debut at the competition.
“The UL fencers must be congratulated for their performance at their very first national competition. The fencers fought their way through the competition with high discipline and commitment to every match and have now laid a good foundation for themselves on the national stage.”
Wade Fraser, sports officer at UL, was elated with the national exposure and the warm reception the fencers received by the fencing community.
He heaped praise on Renuka Ramroop, chairperson of Limpopo Fencing Association, for ensuring the fencers from the university participated in the national event. “Having the UL fencers at a national competition for the first time was a proud moment in the history of fencing in Limpopo. Special appreciation to the University of Limpopo for all their support for the sport of fencing. The performance of all the fencers ensured yet another successful national competition for fencing for Limpopo and it can only get better,” concluded Fraser.
