Fencer Ed Jefferies is well on the way to becoming Munlochy’s most celebrated product. Having won a silver medal at this year’s World Junior Championships in Belfast, he is the youngest member of the Great Britain team for the World Championships which start in Antalya, Turkey, on the last day of this month.

He is one of four Scots (six if you count reserves Jamie Fitzgerald and Lukas Kuhlmey) in the team with Richard Kruse, Keith Cooke (both named alongside Jefferies in the foil event) and Anna Bentley also selected.

The village in the Black Isle is not noted for producing world-class athletes but Jefferies will be happy if he can put it on the map in the years to come.

On his way to the silver medal in Belfast, he beat American Gerek Meindhart, who finished 10th at the last Olympic Games in Beijing, and it has given him confidence that he can be part of the GB team in London at 2012. There is no doubt that is what is mapped out before him.

Jefferies concedes he cannot put his finger on why Scotland has consistently produced top-class fencers over the years but is now becoming aware of the sacrifices involved.

“It’s hard to work out why Scots take to fencing. We seem to have a passion and a hunger for it and we always seem to have a lot of fighting spirit,” he states.

“There are areas of the country that are strong like Dunfermline and Edinburgh and there are good coaches around.”

Just 20, he has already been fencing for nine years. He admits the sport held a fascination for him at an early age.

“I played football and basketball at primary and secondary school and I also did athletics, but I always wanted to try fencing,” he recalls.

“It was at Fortrose Academy when pamphlets were handed around the school inviting us to try fencing that I first had the chance to try it.

“I don’t know whether I was attracted by the elegance of the sport but I enjoyed it immediately and it was the one sport I found I could excel at.

“Dingwall always had a relatively strong club but I found that by the last year there was not a lot of competition for me to spar with and I had to travel more and more for competition and go down to England.”

Now based full-time in London with the Great Britain development squad, Ed works closely with national coach Ziemek Wojciechowski.

“He has helped all aspects of my fencing and has helped me massively. He has completely changed my fencing and worked on my technique and he has been a big influence on me,” Jefferies expands.

“I get the chance to fence five days a week here and we have four fencing sessions and two strength and conditioning sessions.

“It’s a great set-up and we’ve just started back for the past three-and-a-half weeks and are getting our fitness levels back up.

“I don’t get back to Scotland as much as I would like but it’s a sacrifice you have to make. There is a lot of travelling and I’ve been all over the world - to Asia, South Africa, Shanghai, St Petersburg and throughout Europe.”

Jefferies is not one to set himself unrealistic targets and will be happy to finish in the top 32 at the World Championships as he continues to develop his art.

“I don’t like to say that I’m going to do this or that.  I’m happier if I can surprise myself at a competition,” he explains.

“I was disappointed to miss out on gold at the World Junior Championships but, when I looked back on it, it was still an achievement to win silver and I would have been happy with that before the completion.

“Now, I’m looking forward to the World Championships. After that there is a break until the first major competition of 2010 in Copenhagen in January.

“The Commonwealth Championships are also coming up next year in Melbourne so that is another event I am looking forward to greatly.”

RM
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*Image 1 and homepage image courtesy of Alexandra Pottier / FencingPhotos.com.

**Images 2 & 3 courtesy of Xavier Marest / FencingPhotos.com

Thanks also to Serge Timacheff and Graham Morrison