When CSSC athletes are asked how they got into their sport, it’s unusual to hear that thanks to Star Wars, they fell in love with their field of sport. But that’s exactly what Michael Jacob told us when we caught up with him about his ambitions to join the Olympic Team for Paris 2024.
CSSC Games competitor, Michael, has recently been awarded our Silver Level Package of funding to help pay for his training, equipment and travel, while he attempts to secure a Zonal entry place for this year’s Olympic Games, competing in Fencing for Ireland.
About 20 years ago, when I was eleven. But I didn’t get into competitive fencing until university. When I moved to Belfast, I was offered the chance of fencing for the Irish Team, so I said, ‘Why not’.
Oh yeah. From a young age I loved playing with sticks and was absolutely obsessed with Zorro and Star Wars movies. I came from quite an active family anyway, so I guess I found my niche.
I was quite an anti-social child, but I loved to interact with people on my terms without talking much. I loved chess particularly, but what I like most about fencing is that one on one interaction with a single person. You have a back-and-forth type of collaboration, and everything comes down to you. If you win, it’s all you, if you lose it also only ever your fault. But while fencing is a solo sport, it’s also nice being part of a team.
It wasn’t until Uni that I found the social side of fencing came with other extra benefits and only now that it dawns on me that I get to play with sticks professionally.
When living in Belfast, I was selected for the Irish Team. I was forced to a break from the sport when I had back surgery. But soon after COVID, while living in London, I started training with the British squad in Hendon. They had a guest training with us from Hungary, who was the three-time Olympic Gold medallist, and it was this realisation which focused my mind.
As I say, upon moving to Belfast I was invited to compete with their national team, but because Ireland doesn’t have a huge contingent, they weren’t going to get anyone in through traditional methods of qualification. Once all competitors have qualified in their regional rankings, each global continent is allowed to enter a competitor from every country into a competition and the winner of that competition is invited to go to the Olympics as a Zonal entry. It’s quite complicated, but the short story is, I need to be the best Irish fencer in April to give me a shot of going to Pairs. It’s incredibly daunting, but I’ve been building up to this moment with Grand Prix and World Cups in Algeria and Tunisia.
There are three ranking competitions left, which could qualify me for Paris. Next up is in Georgia, then Italy and finally Budapest. As you can see there’s a lot of travel involved, but if I have a good showing in at least one of those I may get selected and it will all be worth it.
As I say it’s one-on-one strategic interaction. But I also like the inclusivity of it. Fencing has worked hard over recent years in increasing women’s sport and increasing the diversity of the kind of people who are attracted to it.
I remember seeing Ibtihaj Muhammad competing in the Rio Games for the USA team as the first hijab wearing fencer and thinking how good this will be for the sport.
For those looking to have a go, you can just turn up in your trainers and tracksuit and use the club’s equipment until you decide to go full on.
I’m currently the Civil Service Sabre Champion which I won at the last CSSC Games. And a title I intend to keep.
Two years ago, I received funding from CSSC which massively helped early on in my progression. While it doesn’t require that much equipment, as I mentioned there is quite a lot of travel, so I was struggling with the costs of competing internationally. The money CSSC awarded me really gave me a foothold while starting out.
Sadly, this will be my last fencing season, before I retire and thanks to CSSC’s most recent funding could make my last year in the sport my best ever, having achieved my dream of competing at the Olympic Games.
If you’d like to follow in Michael’s footsteps, whether sword fighting professionally, or any other sporting ambitions, check out our funding opportunities today.