FENCER'S SUCCESSFUL FIGHT BACK

Sophie St Clair Jones is 15 years old and at the tournament in Dieppe she appeared with competitors from England, Italy, France and Belgium.

Sophie was seeded fifth after the poules and went on to beat higher-seeded competitors to reach the final. She looked unlikely to win and was 6-9 down but pulled back to level the score at 9-9, keeping her calm to record the winning hit.

Sophie is making rapid progress in the sport, her preferred discipline being epe. She was second at the Public Schools Championship at Crystal Palace and silver medallist at the British Youth Championships for U16 epeists. The most recent victory is her first international success.

Sophie was presented with her prizes by Maureen Nisima, the French Olympic gold medallist for epe.