Sarah Filby (right) in action
and won the 2014 Canadian Cadet
national women’s foil championship.
“Right now, I’m not thinking about
the Olympics,” she said. “I’m really
not at the Olympic level yet. But it’s
definitely a goal. I’ll need to make a
lot more sacrifices. I want to make the
national women’s senior team, but I’m
not thinking about the Olympics yet.
“I have had one really big offer from
an NCAA school and that’s where my
focus is right now.” l
Misha Sweet (left) with
Coach Ayach, Sarah Filby
and Cameron Mackay
ways, but it’s becoming dominated by
Japan and Korea.”
In May, both Mackay and Filby
were named the Canadian Fencing
Federation’s Male and Female Athletes
of the Year for 2015-16. According
to Manitoba Fencing, “Both athletes
have set records for Manitoba
nationally and internationally
winning medals at world class
competitions such as the Pan Am
Championships and Junior World
Championships.”
Filby, meanwhile, started fencing
at age seven while living in Michigan.
She was coached by former USSR
National Team member Mikhail
Sarkisov, who was the 2004 USFA
Developmental Coach of the Year. She
started to train with Coach Ayach in
2013. She is a three-time member of
Manitoba’s provincial fencing team
and is currently a member of Canada’s
national junior team.
At the end of the 2015-16 season
she was ranked 19th in the world
in Junior Women’s Foil – that’s the
second highest ranking of any North
American fencer. She won gold at the
2015 Junior World Cup in Guatemala
and was sixth at the 2015 Cadet
World Fencing Championships in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She won
bronze at the 2016 Canadian National
Championship in Senior Women’s Foil
Rapier Fencing Club
St. Boniface – Zacharie: [email protected]
Cavalier Fencing Club
St. James – Graham: 977-2085
Lightning Fencing Club
Misha Sweet
In late June, Fencing Manitoba had another
great result from a young athlete who
represents the province and is part of the
Canadian National Fencing team. Winnipeg’s
Misha Sweet won Bronze at the Senior Pan
Am Championship in the Team event.
Wolseley/West End – Alan 667-5390
Phoenix Fencing Club
Crescentwood/Fort Rouge – Marlies 290-6104
Contact the club nearest you or the
Manitoba Fencing Association
925-5696 • www.fencing.mb.ca
FUN & FITNESS WITH FENCING
sportslife / 29