Canty fencer thrusts with world’s best

Press, 12 June 1987, Page 20

Canty fencer thrusts with world’s best

A former Canterbury fencer, David Elder, has been mixing with the elite competitors of world fencing on the European tournament circuit Eider, who left New Zealand in 1984 to further his fencing career in England, was the 1980 and 81 New Zealand under-20 epee champion. He recently competed at a tournament in Poitiers in south-west France, rubbing shoulders with the top ranked fencers in the world. Elder found, the competition intense, he lost his first round match, but felt he learned a lot by watching the world’s best. “At the end of the third round there were only 32 left and everyone still in was so scared of losing. The, hall was

filled with screams and yells of both triumph and frustration. Even the coaches were screaming.” Elder said in a letter from Poitiers that many of the younger competitors were in awe of the leading fencers. “I saw and met a lot of them. Phillipe Riboud is the current world champion and he didn’t give anyone outside the top 32 any respect. The legend-, ary Picot was a very pleasant fellow who always seemed to have a nice word for you. When I told him I fenced in England he laughed and shrugged, as if to offer condolences.” The tournament was won by a West German called Bourmann, who beat another German, Bellman, in the final. Elder said that Bell-

man was an incredibly interesting person. “He was incredibly hyperactive and ran everywhere — to the piste, to lunch, to bed and to the loo.' Whenever he was running he had a huge smile on his face.” Elder met up with fellow New Zealanders, Martin and Kate Brill, at the tournament. Both are New Zealand representatives and are trying to qualify for the epee and foil events at the Seoul Olympics next year. Martin Brill finished thirteenth in the epee at the Los Angeles Olympics, the best performance by a New Zealand fencer at an Olympic Games. However, he found the competition very tough at Poitiers, going out in the second round. .