Edmonton fencing phenom dominates junior world cup, sharpens skills for Olympic bid

After honing her swordsmanship against some of the best elite players in the world, Edmonton fencing phenom Marina Guintchitskaia is sharpening her skills for the next level of competition.

The Jasper Place High School student just returned from Sosnowiec, Poland where she was the top-placing Canadian in fencing at the Junior World Cup.

Guintchitskaia, 17, made it to the top 40 overall after facing off against elite competitors in foil and sabre.

It was her first foray into elite-level championships, which are for athletes between 17 and 20 years old.

'You're stronger, you're faster'

"It was pretty different because once you're 19 and 20, your fencing changes because you start to get more tactical about it," Guintchitskaia said in an interview with CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.

"You start to think more about what you do. You're stronger, you're faster and you start thinking more on your feet, so it's a lot to consider when you're fencing on that level. At first it, was kind of scary."

Guintchitskaia specializes in sabre. One of the three weapons — and distinct styles — of modern fencing, sabre is known for its tactical competitions and rapid swordplay including dramatic running attacks and flying lunges.

Inspired by her older sister, Guintchitskaia started fencing at just seven years old, and kept on with the sport long after her sister quit.

Guintchitskaia started competing at the age of 13 and has been training at Sergei's Sabre Club in north Edmonton for the last decade. At her first national competition, she placed in the top eight. She has won Canadian nationals in her age group every year since 2014.

Despite her experience, Guintchitskaia humbly claims earning a place on the world junior team as a young fencer was just a lucky break.

"I wasn't even planning to make junior team, it was more of an accident," she said with a laugh.

"I went to this one qualifying competition and I made top eight, so I made all these points that qualified me for the world championships but I've never actually fenced at that level."

The "accidental" success at the qualifiers brought her to Bulgaria in April this year, where she competed against some of world's best elite young fencers. She didn't do as well as she hoped.

"That was a little bit of a rough time because that was my very first junior competition and I wasn't even planning to make junior team," she said. 

"I finished 80th or something, so over the summer I obviously worked harder."

Months of training has left her feeling "more mature" as an athlete and much more prepared for the competition in Poland, she said. 

"I felt more relaxed because I knew I was prepared for it. I trained really hard for the past three months and I could tell that I didn't have much to lose," she said. 

Guintchitskaia hopes to make it to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He next stop will be Cancun, Mexico in December for an Olympic qualifier.

"I'm going to work hard and try to qualify," she said.

"It's going to my first competition at that senior level, so I'm going to see how I do and see what happens from there."

Listen to Radio Active with host Portia Clark, weekday mornings at CBC Radio One, 93.9 FM in Edmonton. Follow the morning crew on Twitter @CBCRadioActive.