Louth brothers excel to win British Youth Championship medals

Sam and Joe Blair, from Louth Fencing Club, have proved that talent is in the family genes after recording some fantastic results this season.
Sam (left) and Joe Blair both won medals at the British Youth Championships EMN-160530-111500002Sam (left) and Joe Blair both won medals at the British Youth Championships EMN-160530-111500002
Sam (left) and Joe Blair both won medals at the British Youth Championships EMN-160530-111500002

In the Yorkshire/Humberside Youth Championships, a qualifier for the British Youth Championships, both siblings won gold in their age groups.

Up against strong opposition from their clubmates, Joe came out on top in the under 12s, and older brother Sam in the under 14s.

They went on to represent the region at the British Youth Championships earlier this month at the prestigious English Institute of Sport, in Sheffield.

With large numbers entered from all the top clubs in the country, they fenced brilliantly to both win medals.

From a 78-strong field, Sam took silver in a tense under 14s final in front of a huge number of spectators, and in the under 12s, with 65 competitors, Joe narrowly lost his semi-final 10-9 against one of the top-ranked fencers in Britain, and won a well-deserved bronze.

Louth club coach Kate Harris said: “This is the top British junior fencing tournament of the year. We had a record nine fencers representing the region, but Joe and Sam both excelled.

“To get medals at all against big southern clubs with professional coaches is amazing, and for brothers to do it is incredible.

“They have been travelling the country to gain experience and this has worked.

“We are very proud of them.”