Month: July 2020

We talk a lot about the mental game of fencing, how it takes adaptability and focus to be successful. One of the most adaptable and focused fencers we’ve had the joy of talking to is Yuval Freilich.

This young and hungry epee fencer represents Israel on the world stage, and he is doing it with a thoughtful nature that does not match his youthful age. At only twenty-five years old, Yuval has a long career ahead of him. Last year, he made a major mark on epee fencing when he took the Gold medal home from the European Championships. This was the first time an Israeli fencer has taken home the top prize at this level of competition.

What you’ll see here is a fencer who sees the varied dimensions of the sport, and one who has made surprising and difficult decisions to compete in it. We were delighted by his ability to articulate the nuance of epee fencing and of how he overcame the challenges that could have become roadblocks to his success. The tactical and technical insight he gives here, including for fencers who are shorter than their opponents, well it’s worth reading.

Don’t expect this genuine and heartfelt interview to be the last you hear from Yuval Freilich, this remarkable epee fencer.

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When we think of the highest possible outcome for our fencers, we of course think of the possibility of them becoming Olympic champions. There is no greater stage and no higher podium than the Individual Gold at the Olympics. 
Áron Szilágyi has accomplished the feat of making it to the top of the individual Olympic podium not once, but twice in a row in men’s saber.

It’s an accomplishment that is almost impossible for us to imagine, and then here is he, a real person who is extraordinary and real all at once. He competed in Beijing in 2008, only to finish fifteenth. In 2012 in London, he found his footing and won his first individual gold medal. In 2016 in Rio, he received a great honor as the flagbearer for Hungary, and then went on to win Individual Gold again. He is only the fifth fencer in the over one hundred year history of the Olympics to win back-to-back Gold medals. He was only twenty-six years old at the time.

There are too many high results to list here in his career. He has won Gold at almost every competition you can imagine, all over the world. At this point, he brings to them an ease and a clarity that is tremendous to hear. 

When you read Szilágyi’s words, you’re going to find that he is an approachable and grounded champion. He gets out of bed and puts his fencing knickers on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us. What is perhaps different is the cultivation and determination that he brings to his passion. Fencing is a complex and elegant sport, and it is striking to hear his insight into the artistry of it. Physicality meets intellect.

Whatever the future holds for the Tokyo 2020, and hopefully there is a Tokyo 2020, we hope to see Áron Szilágyi continue to show the true champion’s mentality that we have come to appreciate. 

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