Updated: Mar 16, 2020
PRESS RELEASE: ZFW Fencers Dominate the Podium at Guatemala World Cup
DATE: Friday, November 22, 2019. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fencers from North London club ZFW dominated the podium in Guatemala City at the recent Copa del Mundo, a major international under-20 foil competition.
Cameron Evans, 17, won gold and Matthew Abrahams, 19, took bronze in the Central American city, using skill and smarts to overcome a field of determined competitors from some 20 nations on November 17.
Abrahams had a better start on the day. He won all his fights in the initial poules round and was seeded second. Evans lost a fight in the poules stage and was seeded fifth. Both young athletes then fought their way through the competition tableau in a series of challenging matches that demanded physical and mental dexterity through a long day amid balmy Guatemalan breezes.
Abrahams earned a bronze medal after losing 15-12 in the semi-finals to Benjamin Shih, who was representing Chinese Taipei. Evans then went on to defeat Shih in the final by a score 15-9 to secure gold.
A delighted ZFW Fencing Club head coach Ziemek Wojciechowski said the medal wins at this junior World Cup level reflected “ice-breaking performances” for both Evans and Abrahams. Both young fencers will return to international junior action in Bangkok, Thailand, in early December.
Evans said he viewed the Guatemala competition as an opportunity to put elements from his training into play. “Achieving my first junior World Cup medal was extremely satisfying,” he said. Evans thanked Wojciechowski, his other coaches, Anna Katkova and Renal Ganeev, and British Fencing. Earlier in November, Evans put in another podium performance at the under-23 London Cup at the University of East London, where he fought his way to a bronze medal.
Abrahams, a former Highgate School pupil who has trained with Wojciechowski since the age of 9, credited the maestro for his success. “I hope this is a stepping stone to future podium performances,” said Abrahams, who also noted the support of British Fencing. Both Abrahams and Evans are part of the British Fencing Athlete Development Programme, which is funded by Sport England.
ZFW’s senior fencers with next come en garde in December in Tokyo, Japan, at the Prince Takamado Cup. It is being staged as a test event for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. The Great Britain squad will include ZFW Olympians Richard Kruse and James-Andrew Davis.
Abrahams will also be competing, in his first outing at the senior World Cup level, alongside British under-23 champion Dominic de Almeida, also of ZFW. Wojciechowski said he looked forward to further ground-breaking results from his fencers in Japan.
Other international fencers coached by Wojciechowski will also take the piste in December in Japan, including north London’s Alexander Tofalides, who fences for Cyprus, Christopher Nagle of Australia and Tunisia’s Mohamed Samandi.
ATTACHED PHOTOS:
1) Cameron Evans (red jacket, standing) displays his gold medal and Matthew Abrahams (red jacket, kneeling in front) sports his bronze.
Photo Credit: ZFW Fencing Club
2) Cameron Evans (left) and Matthew Abrahams (right, near flag) share their medals on the Guatemalan stage.
Photo Credit: ZFW Fencing Club
ZFW is run by Olympic Coach Ziemek Wojciechowski with a team of dedicated experts. The club aims to boost the standard of fencing in Britain by providing a centre of excellence for elite fencers training for Olympic, international and national teams. It also provides a learning programme with an emphasis on youngsters. ZFW operates from various venues in North London and elsewhere around the capital. For further details, please visit https://www.zfw-fencing.co.uk