From left: Uzair Zafran, Cheng and Goh at the Blade Fencing Club in PJ. — Photos: AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
Swordfighters out to sharpen their edge against world’s best
BLADE Fencing Club swordfighters are eyeing victory in several competitions, following a fruitful campaign last year.
Senior foilist Tristan Cheng is hoping to participate in the 2026 Fencing Grand Prix in May, Asian Senior Fencing Championship in June and 2026 World Championships in July.
“These competitions are very competitive, and I will fence to the best of my ability.
“Obviously the goal is to top the senior foil category but right now, I have no expectations.
“It is going to be a busy year ahead juggling my business consultancy with the sport,” said the 26-year-old foilist.
After winning the gold medal in the 14th Malaysia Open Fencing Championships and bronze in the National Fencing Championships – senior category, Cheng went on to win the silver medal in the team event at the SEA Games 2025.
In the semi-finals of the team event, the seventh bout was pivotal when Malaysia took the lead for the first time in the late stages, at 35-32.
Fellow fencer Kaerlan Vinod Kamalanathan maintained a 40-35 lead going into the eighth bout before Cheng took over.
The Thai fencers managed to fight back to tie 44-44 before Cheng delivered the winning point, sealing the match at 45-44.
“We were really happy to defeat Thailand as they had a very solid defence and we felt the pressure from our opponents.
“I want to highlight the good team effort as everyone played their part and contributed to the match,” he said.
The Malaysian team proceeded to the final to face Singapore, but lost 20-45.
In the Individual event, Cheng lost to Nathaniel Perez 13-15 in the quarter-finals.
“I started slightly slow and Nathaniel managed to take the lead at 13-9.
“Although I fought back and tied the score at 13-13, he showed more composure and won 15-13.”
“This is one of my hardest losses, and I felt very disappointed,” he said, adding that he will continue to train hard for this year’s events.
Meanwhile, junior foilist Goh Wen Hao also had a good run last year.
Locally, he won gold in both the Senior and Junior National Fencing Competitions in June.
As for competitions under the International Fencing Federation, he made the top 32 in the Wuxi Junior Fencing World Championships last April as well as the Asian Senior Championships in June.
“I am really looking forward to the Olympics in 2028 and hope to be a part of it.
“In the meantime, I will work towards that and continue to train hard as well as gain more experience through more competitions,” he said.
Junior fencer Uzair Zafran Badroel Rizwan, 17, also won several medals last year.
He won silver in the National Fencing Championships 2025 (Junior) as well as South-East Asian Fencing Federation Championship in the Individual and Team Foil categories.
“The plan for this year includes the Junior Fencing World Cup as well as the Asian Junior Fencing Championships,” he said.
