Charlotte Slater from Lisburn Gladiators Fencing Club has just won the Under 12 Girls British Youth Fencing Championships held at the EIS in Sheffield.

In the competition she was seeded eleventh going into the direct elimination rounds. Charlotte won the initial knockout rounds comfortably but had a tough quarter-final match against the top seed. In the final she gained renewed strength and resilience coming through to win 10-8 after 11 matches spread over 9 hours.

This is a remarkable achievement for Charlotte and is her second British Youth fencing title in three years.

This has capped a remarkable year for Lisburn Gladiators Fencing Club based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The club has the current Irish U17 epee champion, Irish U17 foil and sabre runners –up, Ulster U12 and U16 foil champions and eight fencers representing Northern Ireland at the British Youth Championships.

The club has been going for four years, coached by Alison Slater, Felix Yim, Colin Bell and a few parents and is the second British Youth title the club has won in three years.

The club continues to work with local schools and youth groups in promoting and developing this Olympic sport locally with limited funding and resources. Despite this, they have coached Charlotte to the top at the weekly club nights and further training sessions with the University of Ulster and the Ulster fencing Academy.

In order for Charlotte and other club members to progress further and leave the Olympic Legacy, they will need to attend training camps in the UK and Europe and purchase additional fencing equipment for which sponsorship and funding are now being sought.

Lisburn Gladiators are the first club in Northern Ireland to have a British Youth Double Champion and we hope Charlotte will be the first of many to come through the ranks.

New members are always welcome to join and all equipment is provided. Please telephone 0845 40 33623 (0845 G0 FENCE) to book a free taster session.