Doha, Qatar: Aspire Academy brought together fencers from six nations for a training camp ahead of the upcoming season.
Fencers from the Netherlands, Greece, Argentina, Malaysia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia joined local Qatari fencers alongside Aspire Academy student-athletes and graduates.
Among the 66 fencers who gathered were Saudi Arabia’s Khalifah Al-Omairi, who won bronze in the epee at the recent World Championships in Hong Kong, and Dutch athlete Tristan Tulen, who has competed at the Olympics and won the Doha Grand Prix in January.
The week-long training camp featured 12 sessions totalling 36 hours, overseen by 16 coaches from both Aspire Academy and overseas. It included work on footwork, technical skills, as well as strength and conditioning.
In addition to the coaching sessions, several social activities were organised for the visitors, including a meal at Souq Waqif, a trip to the cinema, and badminton and swimming sessions.
Senior Fencing Coach for epee at Aspire Academy, Hugo Dergal, said there had been very positive feedback from the visiting fencers and coaches as well as the local athletes.
“We are delighted that they have been able to enjoy the Aspire Academy facilities: from our fencing hall to our gyms for physical preparation and the recovery centre,” he said.
“My hope is that we can build on this camp, make it bigger, and invite more fencers from not just the Middle East but from around the globe.” He added that the Aspire Academy student-athletes have learnt many valuable lessons from the training camp. “During the training sessions, the professionals are very disciplined and always engaged; this is an area our student-athletes can learn from,” he explained. “Even if we are tired, even if it’s a long session, we need to keep our focus and maintain that discipline, as that will help us in competition.”
Dutch fencer Tristan Tulen was impressed with the potential of the Aspire Academy fencers. “I was really happy to accept the invite, especially because the Aspire facilities are really first-class, so I accepted without hesitation,” he said.
“They’re (Aspire Academy fencers) very professional in many ways at such a young age. So I think they have strong potential to develop into international players in the future.” “They have the same personality as me; I also get flared up when I lose a match, and I use it to evaluate what I have done and use it as motivation for my next encounter. I would encourage them to do the same.”
