Don Treanor and Fergus Wightman represented the Bermuda Fencing Federation in the Fairfax Challenge in Fredericksburg, Virginia last weekend.

The signature USA Fencing tournament for Region Six attracted high-quality competitors from across the United States as well as international athletes from as far afield as Pakistan.

With three days of action from Friday to Sunday, the event was held in an 80,000 square-foot venue, which accommodated 40 grounded strips and was overseen by experienced tournament staff and referees.

Treanor fenced in all three disciplines of foil, épée and sabre in the veteran category. He achieved finishes of 9th and 16th in the foil and epee before ending the weekend on a high in the veteran men’s sabre, finishing third and narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

Wightman, who is aged 13, was competing at an international event for the first time and achieved a top-20 finish in the youth sabre category. The event was ultimately won by William Yan, of the Nazlymov Fencing Foundation, who is currently ranked 57th in the US.

“My goal for this weekend was to get a feel for fencing at an international level and to be competitive,” Wightman said.

“Overall, I am happy with how things went and have learnt a lot. I am grateful for the coaching that Mr Treanor has provided, particularly at the event. I am also thankful for the support the other coaches, especially Mr David Semos, have provided since taking up fencing a few years ago. I look forward to continuing my development and training for my next overseas event.”