Super Sophia clinches School Games fencing gold - The Redditch Standard

Super Sophia clinches School Games fencing gold

Redditch Editorial 4th Sep, 2017   0

STUDLEY’S Sophia Potter saw off allcomers to win the gold medal in the women’s sabre competition at the School Games National Finals at Loughborough University.

The 17-year-old Stratford School sixth-former won her semi-final 15-1 before going on to beat Scotland’s Elise Llewellyn 15-12 to win the coveted gold medal.

Of her performance, Potter, who competed for Team England, said: “It was quite tense but I kept my cool so I was calm but, when I stress, I go mad, so as long as I’m calm I can win which is what I did.

“In the final it’s a big thing and you need to win it. The semi-final was a warm-up for me and then as soon as I got into the final my head was in the game.”




Potter relished her time at the Games, adding: “The School Games is amazing. You come here, you compete, you make friends, watch other sports and then you come here and win it.

“It’s an amazing experience and I’d advise anyone to come here.”


Potter competed at the School Games at Loughborough last year and won a bronze medal but this year she went two places better.

“It’s a massive step up and everything I’ve worked for has paid off and I’ve eventually won,” she said.

The School Games, which took place between August 31 and September 3, are an integrated multi-sport event for the UK’s most talented school-age athletes, with around 1,600 athletes competing across 12 sports, seven of which included disability disciplines.

Previous competitors include Paralympic champions Hannah Cockroft, Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock, Olympic champion Adam Peaty and GB sprinters Adam Gemili and Dina Asher-Smith.

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