Young fencing star does the double

At just 10 years of age, Issie Johnson of Chorleywood, is proving herself a cut above the rest after winning fencing county cups in two age categories recently. Issie took home the titles at the Hertfordshire Junior Fencing Championships, which was hosted at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield in April. This is an incredibly hard feat to achieve and it is the first time it has ever been done in these age categories. A pupil at Christ Church School in Chorleywood, Issie trains with Fencers Club London (FCL) which operates in the Rickmansworth and north London areas. Issie puts her success down to training hard and having a fantastic coach, Dominique Szokolovics. Szokolovics is a former UK women’s national champion who set up FCL in 2015 to develop the next generation of elite British fencing athletes. Issie is one of several FCL fencers who have achieved county, national or international success since joining the club’s elite fencing academy. Further information on Fencers Club London is available on their website at www.fencersclublondon.com