The University of Galway’s Patrick Ward won gold in men’s épée fencing at the Galway Novice, an event held by the University.
“We’re all so proud of him,” says Cian Dolly, the Vice Treasurer of the fencing club, after the competition, which took place on March 7th and 8th. “We started together a year and a half ago, and seeing him do so well was a good morale boost,” he adds.
“The fact that he has been so busy with balancing placement and fencing shows how determined he was,” says Evelyn Jomon, the Official Committee Member of the fencing club.
In total, five fencers from the University of Galway participated in the Novice competition.
Patrick Ward also placed 5th in men’s foil fencing.
“It was great to see someone with the same amount of training as me being able to achieve this,” says Risi Krishna, a Novice fencer.
“We want our Novices to see that they can compete with other clubs that are fortunate to have a coach,” says Saoirse Egan, the Public Relations Officer of the fencing committee.
Instead of coaches, senior fencers dedicate their time to training the fencers at the University of Galway for competitions.
“It can be quite intimidating for our fencers, especially the younger ones, who go up against other clubs that have training with coaches regularly,” adds Egan.
The Novice competitions are held specifically for fencers with less than two years of experience. They compete with others who have the same amount of ability and enable fencers to improve themselves.
This is a major win for the University of Galway, as it was the first Novice event attended by the university since 2024 in what was previously an annual event.
There are three types of fencing styles.
Épée, the area in which Ward won a gold medal, has no rules. This means that the entire body is a target and requires more precise timing.
Foil only has the target area of the torso, and points can be scored only with the tip of the blade. Foil fencing uses the right-of-way rule, meaning the fencer who initiates the attack has priority if both fencers land a touch in unison.
Sabre has the target area of only above the waist, including the head and arms. Like foil, sabre uses the right-of-way rule. Hits can be done with the edge or tip of the blade.
Photo credits: Saoirse Egan
