A 17-year-old fencer from Nelson Mandela Bay has been selected to represent South Africa at the Junior African Fencing Championships in Dakar, Senegal, but needs to raise R75,000 to make the trip possible.
Jordan Le Feuvre, who trains at the Excelsior EC Fencing Academy in Walmer, will be making her debut in the national épée team when the championships take place from 16-21 February.
Le Feuvre has achieved several notable distinctions in the sport. She is the youngest and only female national fencing referee from the Eastern Cape, having successfully passed the national fencing referee examination in May 2025 at the age of 16. She has since officiated at two national fencing competitions.
The teenager has won multiple medals at both provincial and national levels and served as a team captain at the South African Championships. In her Back-a-Buddy campaign, Le Feuvre shared that her fencing journey began when she was 13 years old.
“My love of the sport has grown massively over the last four years,” she said. “I have fenced in both provincial and national competitions across the country and have slowly climbed higher in national rankings in both under-17 and under-20 women’s épée.”
The teenager was initially selected for the South African team to attend the Junior African Championships in Angola in January 2025, but was unable to participate.
“I am very excited to be selected again to represent South Africa in the under-20 women’s épée event,” she shared. “This is such an exciting next step for me as it means that I can learn and grow in my fencing and have the privilege of representing South Africa at an international event.”
However, the opportunity comes with significant financial challenges. Each fencer is responsible for raising their own sponsorship, and Le Feuvre has launched a fundraising campaign to cover the estimated R75,000 needed for the trip.
The costs include replacing her entire fencing kit with FIE (International Fencing Federation) certified equipment, as well as flights, accommodation, event entry fees, food and local transport. As of Friday, 16 January, her crowdfunding campaign had raised R12,115.
Eastern Cape Modern Pentathlon and Fencing Chair, Jessica Raper, described fencing to the PE Express as a sport that is “totally underestimated” in South Africa.
“Overseas in nearly every country, it is a major sport, but not in South Africa,” she said. “With fencing, you learn discipline and it is very technical, but it’s not just about winning.” She explained that the sport is accessible to people aged eight to 70-plus, noting that the blade is not sharp and an electrical light flash as soon as contact is made with an opponent.
“Fencing is very much an individual sport, but you are also part of a club,” Jessica Raper said. “It is about problem-solving, critical thinking and outsmarting your opponent. They call it the chess of gymnastics.” Currently, there are fencing clubs in East London, Port Alfred and Nelson Mandela Bay, with participants able to compete at regional and national levels before progressing to international competition.
Raper praised Le Feuvre’s achievement as a referee, noting the significance of her being the youngest and only female fencing national referee from the Eastern Cape.
“It is very significant because you have to do an exam with international rules. We also compete according to the International Fencing Federation,” she shared. “It’s particularly impressive that she only started as a referee a year ago, at the age of 16. She started with flying colours.”
For more information or to support the teenager, go to https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-me-to-get-to-junior-african-fencing-champs
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