St Albans pupil Ava is en garde

St Albans School pupil Ava competed with Team GB in fencing at a meet in Tunisia

St Albans School Year 12 pupil Ava Davies competed with the Senior GB fencing squad, at an international Senior Grand Prix fencing tournament in Tunisia in January. The youngest member of the British fencing squad, she competed alongside 250 elite fencers from across the globe. “Training with them and fencing them, was such an incredible experience,” she says.

Fencing was practiced at St Albans School over a century ago and has recently been reintroduced as a co-curricular activity. “Fencing is a great way for young people to start building confidence and essential life skills that extend way beyond the confines of the sport itself,” says Director of Sport Martin Langston.

“The sport teaches perseverance, resilience and the ability to handle pressure in a safe and structured way as well as being mentally stimulating and physically driven. We are really proud of Ava’s incredible success in the sport. It is such an honour and an achievement to be representing Team GB at her young age and we wish her every success in her upcoming competitions.”

St Albans School st-albans.herts.sch.uk

Further reading: Sporting life at St Columba’s College