Fencing: Meet in Tours the Centre-Val de Loire

The Centre-Val de Loire regional foil championships take place on 14 and 15 January in Tours. 150 shooters will take part in the competition, organized by the Salles d’Armes Tourangelles.

“We are guaranteed to have a show!”. This weekend of January 14 and 15, the best foil fencers in the Centre-Val de Loire region will be present in Tours. Organized by the Salles d’Armes Tourangelles (SAT), the regional championships bring together eight categories (M9, M11, M13, M15, M17, M20, seniors and veterans).

The organizers return to this event with a smile. “We approach this meeting with great enthusiasmrejoices Emmy Falize, member of the SAT office. On a sporting level, it is the first foil circuit of the season for many fencers. They are very motivated after interesting results, even convincing for some and some. Despite their young age, the foil fencers produce a very beautiful game”.

For all categories represented, competition is crucial. “For the M17 to M20, this first step will allow you to take points in the regional ranking. And this is an important one towards the French championships, because it is on the basis of this regional classification that places can be distributed to a certain number of shooters”. emphasizes Bastien Bougeard. For the senior men, two tickets are distributed for the French National 3 championships. For the ladies, it will be a place for the French National 2 championship. For the youngest categories (from M9 to M13) , the main thing is to discover the competition and learn while having fun.

“We are almost starting from a blank page”

For the M15 category, it is a question of zone championship. “It brings together shooters from Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire. The favorites are more on the side of the NEC (Nantes Escrime Club), Angers or Rennes, but Émile Bagaev, who won the Center-Val de Loire League event, may also have a chance to shine”, explains Emmy Falize. This event is part of the Horizon 2032 system by the French Fencing Federation, which aims to detect young talents. “Tours is the second event. Only a certain number of shooters will qualify for the interzone scheduled for spring in Valenciainforms Bastien Bougeard. Some may see their adventure come to an end on Sunday evening”.

For Emmy Falize and Bastien Bougeard, it is difficult to predict results. “We are in a season of returning to normal, because the health crisis has reshuffled the cards a bit. There was only one competition between 2020 and 2022. In other words, we are almost starting from a blank page”. Nevertheless, the members of the Bureau des Salles d’Armes Tourangelles put forward a few names. “In senior men’s foil, we should count on the presence of the League champion, Kenny Wieckowicz. In U17 ladies, Julie Chauveau has a card to play”. Touraine hopes are multiple at home. “Julie Chauveau in M17, David Bakhos in seniors…, lists Bastien Bougeard. In women’s foil, we hope that the podium will be entirely in the colors of the SAT with three Tourangelles”. It’s up to them to shine.