Pinehurst students Yilia Wang, Shawn Li, Olivia Fu, Ivy Liu and Alice Yan recently travelled to Australia as members of the New Zealand National Youth Team, competing at the 2025/26 Australian Youth and Cadet Championships.
Held in Sydney on 4 July, the championships brought together some of the strongest young fencers from across the region. Competing against high-calibre international opposition, the students achieved a number of outstanding results while proudly representing both New Zealand and Pinehurst.
Yilia enjoyed exceptional success across both the team and individual competitions. She won bronze medals in the Cadet Women’s Épée Team and Girls’ Épée Team events, while also placing 8th in the Cadet Women’s Épée Individual Event and 9th in the Girls’ Épée Individual Event, making her one of New Zealand’s top-performing fencers at the tournament.
Shawn also achieved an excellent result, earning a silver medal (2nd place) in the Boys’ Épée Team Event. His strong performances throughout the competition reflected the skill, focus and determination required to compete at an international level.
Olivia, Ivy and Alice competed in the Youth Girls’ Épée (Under 15) Team Event, demonstrating impressive teamwork, resilience and composure under pressure to achieve an outstanding sixth-place finish. Competing against some of Oceania’s top young fencers, they supported one another throughout the event and represented New Zealand with pride.
While podium finishes are a significant achievement, earning selection for the New Zealand National Youth Team is an accomplishment in itself. Behind these results are countless hours of training, physical preparation and mental discipline. Balancing the demands of high-performance sport alongside school commitments requires remarkable dedication, perseverance and resilience, making the achievements of all five students even more impressive.
The students were recognised by JYD SWORDS Fencing Club not only for their competition results but also for the way they represented both New Zealand and Pinehurst throughout the championships. Their sportsmanship, teamwork and commitment were evident both during competition and throughout the championships.
We congratulate Yilia, Shawn, Olivia, Ivy and Alice on their outstanding achievements and look forward to following their continued success in the sport of fencing.
