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2020 Singapore Cadet, Junior, Senior Nationals

Singapore’s fencers lunged into action after competitions were placed on hold for about 10 months. Over three weekends, Singapore Sports School’s present and past student-athletes put their best foot forward in the Singapore Cadet, Junior and Senior Nationals from 4 to 20 December, winning 8 gold, 8 silver and 11 bronze medals in the fencing tournament.

Competitions kicked off in with the Singapore Cadet Nationals which saw Fencing Academy’s student-athletes podium in all six events – Men’s and Women’s Epee, Men’s and Women’s Foil, and Men’s and Women’s Sabre; securing victories in the Men’s Epee (Tim Shee Zhe Guang), Women’s Foil (Cheung Kemei) and Women’s Sabre (Juliet Heng Jie Min).

Kemei dominated in the Women’s Foil pools stage, receiving only one touch out of 20 that she scored over four bouts. Advancing into the elimination round, the Secondary 4 student-athlete again cruised through the Round of 16 and Quarter-Finals to meet Secondary 2 teammate Nabihah Raiedah Mohammad Fadly. Despite her young age, Nabihah proved to be a tough fight. The nine-minute match ended at 14-12 with advantage going to the more-experienced Kemei. Kemei recovered from the semi-final scare to defeat Elle Koh swiftly with a score of 15-6 to clinch the gold medal. Nabihah finished joint-third.

“I feel happy to compete again after all these months. Even though we are able to spar during training, the pressure is much less than in competition. I was a bit nervous at the start but I became more relaxed as I got into the competition mood. This win is assurance that I have maintained my form and I’m thankful for everyone who has supported me during this trying period with little sport action,” said Kemei, who also won a silver medal in the Senior Women’s Foil two weeks later.

Sports School’s fencers continued their strong performance in the Junior and Senior tournaments, achieving 1-2-3 finishes in four events. Three of such instances were in the Junior events and one in the Senior competition.

In the Senior Men’s Sabre event, 16-year-old Dan Wei Zuo delivered when it really mattered. He remained undefeated over eight bouts, including toppling 23-year-old national fencer Choy Yu Yong in the Final, to secure the title in the open division. Just a week earlier, Wei Zuo, who had already secured a Cadet Sabre silver, faced resistance in the quarter-finals of the Junior division and concluded the event in 5th place, just missing out on a medal.

“I was on cloud nine when I won the competition. There was a sense of pride and redemption especially because I had come so close to medalling in the Junior event. There were many fencers in the Senior division, most of them older, who are tough to beat which meant that my chances of medalling were slimmer, so I did not expect myself to be on the podium in the Senior competition, let alone clinch the gold medal,” said Wei Zuo who will commence his first year of studies in the customised Diploma in Business Studies programme next year.

“I had set very high expectations of myself during the Cadet and Junior tournaments. I wanted to win so badly. However, coming into Seniors, I focused on relaxation techniques to calm myself down, taking it one match at a time instead. I told myself that I had nothing to lose, and to continue fighting hard and persevering till the end. With the support of my coach Eugene Chua, I managed to channel my focus into each match, beating my opponents and eventually earned a spot in the final.

“In the final, I was quite nervous and intimidated by my opponent as he was older and experienced, but I did not back down and fenced my final match to the best of my ability. This win has given the much-needed confidence to continue pursuing my fencing dream and taught me that nothing is impossible so long I don't give up. It was also a good lesson for me to focus on the possibilities for success, not on the potential for failure.”

RESULTS

2020 Singapore Cadet Nationals

Men's Epee

1st – Tim Shee Zhe Guang

Women's Epee

2nd – Elisa Tan Shu Tsi

Men's Foil

3rd – Zephaniah Ian Kiew

Women's Foil

1st – Cheung Kemei

3rd – Nabihah Raiedah Mohammad Fadly

Men's Sabre

2nd – Dan Wei Zuo

3rd – Isaac Ong Shao En

Women's Sabre

1st – Juliet Heng Jie Min

2020 Singapore Junior Nationals

Men's Epee

1st – Simon Lee Renjie

2nd – Si To Jian Tong

3rd – Tim Shee Zhe Guang

Men's Foil

1st – Max Neo Wei Kit

2nd – Joel Chiu Ka Jyn

3rd – Matthew James Lim Quan Rong

Women's Foil

3rd – Anna Tay Wan Enn

Men's Sabre

1st – Chan Phu Xien

2nd – James Ng Xuan-Xin

3rd – Sean Elisha Koh Tze Li

2020 Singapore Senior Nationals

Men's Epee

1st – Si To Jian Tong

2nd – Simon Lee Renjie

3rd – Jefferson Cheong Jia Hui

Men's Foil

2nd – Joel Chiu Ka Jyn

3rd – Max Neo Wei Kit

Women's Foil

2nd – Cheung Kemei

Men's Sabre

1st – Dan Wei Zuo

3rd – Sean Elisha Koh Tze Li

Women's Sabre

3rd – Nicole Wee Sher Tynn (Alumna)