NEWS
CFA fencers recently represented South Africa at the highest level of the sport, competing at the World Championships in Cairo and the Commonwealth Championships in
London.
Club captain Jacques Viljoen was selected for the FIE training camp ahead of the world championships, held in Cairo this past July, where he competed in Men’s Foil. This was his first world championships since Paris 2010.
A number of CFA athletes attended the Commonwealth Championships in London. This was a huge competition, which included every age group from veteran to cadet.
Giselle Vicatos competed in women’s foil, which saw her deliver the performance of her life, that was sadly cut short by a serious knee injury. Caden Sampson joined Viljoen in the senior men’s foil events, and also competed in the junior men’s foil events.
Ethan Ellis (last year junior) and Jeremy Saner gained some excellent experience in the men’s sabre events, despite set backs to their preparation due to work and injuries.
On the junior front, Twins Daniel and Aiden Richards took part in junior men’s epee events, while Chanel Ritz competed at her first international event, representing RSA in Cadet Women’s epee.
Our newest club member, 14 year old Lisa Lambert, competed in Cadet women’s foil.
Our junior and cadet fencers have learnt a lot and have returned home motivated and ready to build on their experiences and take their skill to the next level.
Next up for CFA fencers are the SA Senior Nationals, which will be held in Durban this September.
Cape Fencing Academy athletes medaled in all three weapons, taking home a total of nine medals at the Eastern Cape Open in Port Elizabeth / Gqeberha this past weekend.
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Giselle Vicatos won senior women's foil and placed second in senior women's epee.
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The Richards Twins finished first and third in cadet men's epee, narrowly missing an all-CFA final.
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Jeremy Saner came third in senior men's sabre, narrowly losing to a team mate in the semi final.
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In senior men's foil, Caden Sampson produced the best result of the season so far, winning all his pool matches and beating SA #2 ranked Pasha Tyshler 15-14 in the semi final to set up an all-CFA final with team mate Jacques Viljoen, before losing 15-5. He also placed 3rd in junior men's foil.
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As the club continues to grow, staff are looking for a new venue. Stay tuned for an announcement soon!
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This year brought with it a whole new set of challenges for The Cape Fencing Academy, as the club faced harsh lockdowns, new COVID-19 protocols and venue issues.
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Despite this, fencers continued to train and complete nationally. Jeremy Saner finished off the season ranked 1st in SMS, The Richards twins ranked 1st and 2nd in CME, Caden Sampson finished 2nd in JMF and 3rd in SMF, Giselle Vicatos finished the season ranked 2nd in SWF and Jacques Viljoen finished the season undefeated with a 100% win record, topping the SMF ranking after 10 year absence from national competition.
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The club is still looking for a new, more permanent venue in Cape Town, so please do get in touch if you can help.
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We look forward to seeing you all at the year-end club dinner, hosted by Italian fencer, club member and restaurant owner Encrico Di Giambattista.
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Seasons' greetings, happy new year and we look forward to growing more as athletes and as a club in 2022.
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- Sincerely, Misha Galukhin, Founder & Head Coach
Congratulations to all CFA fencers who competed at the Cape Open this weekend.
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The club dominated the competition, winning gold medals in all three weapons. This was the final national competition of the 2021 season, and many fencers finished off the season ranked in the top three in South Africa.
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Chanel Ritz - silver CWE
Giselle Vicatos- silver SWF, bronze SWE
Aiden Richards - gold CME
Caden Sampson - silver JMF, bronze SMF
Jeremy Saner - gold SMS, bronze SMF
Jacques Viljoen - gold SMF
Special mention goes to Chanel Ritz for medaling in Cadet Women's Epee (u17) at her first national open, at just 14 years old.
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Chanel Ritz and Julianne Pereira finished second and third respectively in girl's u15 Epee, their first ever national fencing competition.
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The two faced-off in the semi-finals with Chanel narrowly edging out her team mate 15-14 to make the gold medal match.
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Chanel would also go on to medal at the Cape Open two days later, in U17 women's epee at just 14 years old.
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We expect great things to come from these two young athletes in 2022!