The British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced today the final three athletes selected to represent Team GB in fencing at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
In the last three years British Fencing have won 13 World Cup medals and claimed four European Championship podium places, including Britain’s first major championships team medal in three decades.
Team GB will compete in all three fencing disciplines – epee, foil and sabre – on the Olympic programme, at the ExCel in London Docklands.
The final three selected athletes are:
Anna Bentley – Women’s Foil (age: 31 born: Aberdeen)
Husayn Rosowsky – Men’s Foil (age: 21 born: Sheffield)
Sophie Troiano – Women’s Foil (age: 25, born: London)
Two reserve athletes are:
Martina Emanuel (age: 26 born: Milan, Italy)
Laurence Halsted (age: 26 born: London)
Completing the Women’s Foil team, Anna Bentley, Great British National Champion for three consecutive years, has been selected alongside Sophie Troiano to the Team GB fencing squad. In the Men’s category, British Champion Husayn Rosowsky is the only male addition to the squad, and joins 2011 World Cup silver medallist Richard Kruse in the Foil discipline.
The three athletes selected today join the seven fencers already selected to Team GB, and complete the ten-strong fencing squad which will represent Team GB this summer.
The seven fencers already selected to Team GB are:
Louise Bond-Williams – Women’s Sabre (age: 30, born: Cheltenham)
James Davis – Men’s Foil (age: 20, born: Edgware)
James Honeybone – Men’s Sabre (age: 21, born: Truro, Cornwall)
Richard Kruse – Men’s Foil (age: 28, born: London)
Corinna Lawrence – Women’s Epee (age: 21, born: Plymouth)
Natalia Sheppard – Women’s Foil (age: 28, born: Gdansk, Poland)
Sophie Williams – Women’s Sabre (age: 21, born: Rinteln, Germany)
The addition of the three final fencers brings the total number of athletes officially selected to compete for Team GB at London 2012 to 215 across eighteen sport disciplines: archery, athletics – marathon, badminton, boxing, canoe slalom, diving, fencing, hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, synchronised swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon and weighlifting.
The final three athletes were formally nominated to the BOA for selection to Team GB by British Fencing, the National Governing Body for fencing in the UK.
Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt said:
“I am delighted to welcome the final three fencers to Team GB, which completes our 10-strong squad for the London 2012 Olympics. The talent within the squad is extremely exciting, and our British fencers have made excellent progress since Beijing 2008, winning 13 World Cup medals and claiming four European Championship podium places.
“Our 10 fencers will compete across all three Olympic categories, and will be looking to win Britain’s first Olympic medal since Tokyo 1964. They will feel the full support of the nation when competing at the London 2012 Olympics at the ExCel Centre, and I am fully confident they will give their all and deliver truly memorable performances while representing Team GB.”
British Fencing Performance Manager Alex Newton said:
“I am delighted that the BOA have confirmed the final three host nation places and the two reserves for the men and women’s Foil teams. We have a really strong team and I am confident that they will fulfil their exciting potential in London.
“Now that the final team has been confirmed, I am looking forward to working with the athletes, coaches and support staff to ensure that we are fully focused on maximising our performances as we enter these final critical stages of our preparation.”
Athlete Sophie Troiano said:
“I feel extremely proud to have been selected as part of the Team GB fencing team for the Games this summer. As a team our performances have been consistently improving over the past year and to be given the chance to show how far we have come on the Olympic stage is a huge privilege.
“This has been made possible thanks to the belief and support of our coach and all the staff from the World Class Fencing Programme. To represent your country at an Olympics is an honour in itself, but to do so in front of a home crowd is an opportunity that few athletes get in their lifetime and is truly special.
“This is just the first step on our journey to Olympic success and our focus now as a team is on preparing ourselves to ensure that we deliver the best performances possible at London 2012.”
Athlete Anna Bentley said: “I am absolutely delighted about being selected today, it is the culmination of many years of hard work, sacrifices and it really is a dream that has become a reality. I can’t wait to compete in front of a home crowd and help the team achieve a personal best performance at the Olympic Games.”
Athlete Husayn Rosowsky said:
“It is a great honour to be selected for the London 2012 Olympics. The opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd will make a massive difference to our chances. I’m not here just to make up the numbers, I fence because I want to win and there’s no bigger prize than an Olympic medal.”
Notes to Editors:
For interview requests with fencing athletes and performance staff contact British Fencing Media Officer Karim Bashir on 07855252546 / [email protected]. For further information please contact BOA Communications Manager Phil Wilkinson on 07525 951067 / [email protected].
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its mission is to transform British lives through the power of the Olympic values and the success of Team GB. The BOA’s role is to prepare the ‘Best of British’ athletes for, and lead them at, the summer, winter and youth Olympic Games. The BOA delivers extensive support services to Britain’s Olympic athletes and their National Governing Bodies to enhance Olympic success and is responsible for championing the Olympic values and brand in the UK. The BOA receives no funding from the lottery or government, has no political interests and is completely dependent upon fundraising income to achieve its mission. The BOA is the strong, independent voice for British Olympic Sport.
Team GB website: www.teamgb.com
Team GB Twitter: www.twitter.com/TeamGB
Team GB Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamGB
British Fencing: The National Governing Body aims to produce a ‘World Leading Fencing Family’, providing opportunities to start, stay and succeed in fencing.
This vision incorporates providing opportunities for anyone to join the sport and feel welcome, opening doors so that anyone and everyone can access it and achieve their individual goals. British Fencing aims to do everything they can to ensure their fencers fulfill their potential and are successful on the piste.
The Governing Body has a 3G Strategy that they wish to achieve: Green (a fit for purpose governing body), Grow (more people fencing more often) and Gold (Olympic gold medals).
British Fencing website: www.britishfencing.com
British Fencing Twitter: www.twitter.com/britishfencing
British Fencing Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/British-Fencing/137831210401
About Team 2012: Team 2012, presented by Visa, is the official support programme for British athletes striving to be selected for Team GB and ParalympicsGB in 2012.
Alongside National Lottery and Exchequer funding, Team 2012 helps to raise funds to support 1,200 athletes from 47 Olympic and Paralympic sports and disciplines who are in training to be selected for Team GB and ParalympicsGB at London 2012.
Funds raised are invested in six key areas across 47 different Olympic and Paralympic sporting disciplines:
For more information on Team 2012, visit www.team-2012.com
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