Antigua & Barbuda, August 4, 2024 –A 12-year-old girl with Dominican roots is hoping to put that island nation on the world stage by one day by becoming an Olympic fencer.
Zuri Alfred has excelled in the sport, having started at the age of five-years-old, advancing her way to the top of the board. “Being Dominican is a huge part of me and it continues to bring great pride in me to represent this small island where my grandpa and other relatives live. And of course to encourage girls in the small islands to get into sports,” she explained.
Zuri, who has her pick of where she wants to represent having been born in the United States and currently living in the United Kingdom, has chosen to highlight most of all the land of her father’s birthplace.
“In my semi-professional experience, thus far my father has played an enormous role in supporting my fencing efforts along with various other coaches including Julianna Revesz from Knightsbridge Fencing Club which is my current club and my mentor Hannah LeBor who helped me every week.
Her preferred style is Épée fencing which uses a heavier thrusting weapon and targets the entire body. “I have medalled in all three but by far Épée is my favourite weapon because Épée is natural for me,” she said.
“I feel more free and creative with Épée because it has less rules than foil and sabre and sometimes some of those rules feel like restrictions. That’s why Épée is my favourite.”
Before selecting epee as her main weapon of choice, Zuri trained under Nzingha Prescod, 2x Olympian and former world champion and competed in her first foil competition in Manhattan, winning silver at Manhattan Youth Epee in 2022.
Zuri has represented Dominica for several years and is internationally ranked in the U14 category in England, where she holds the #17 spot. Recently, she entered the 2024 Leon Paul International Junior Series (LPIJS) as the 4th seed in the 2023 series at the Budapest Olympic Fencing Tournament. She made it to the round of 32 but was defeated by the 4th ranked Hungarian in this category.
At the start of 2024, she ranked #4 in the Leon Paul International Junior Series in London. In her first fencing competition of the year on January 28, 2024, Zuri placed 2nd, securing her qualification for the British Youth Championships held in May in Sheffield. She earned her spot with a silver medal at the London Regional British Youth Championships on February 25, 2024.
In the under 12 girls’ Épée, Zuri, a member of the Knightsbridge Fencing Club, ranked 2nd. Now competing in under 14 competitions, she admits feeling a bit intimidated but appreciates her progress.
Further remarkable achievements include in 2023, when she won gold in the Leon Paul Junior Series Women’s U11 Epee Tournament after copping a silver medal the year before in the Leon Paul International Junior series.
The sport of sword fighting is rather unconventional for islanders in the Caribbean but this 12-year-old who sports black girl magic and determination believes that can all change if more people take interest in the sport.
“My goal is to inspire and encourage young girls in sports and show them what happens when you follow your dreams. And one dream I have is to one day make the Olympics. I think that it can help inspire a generation.”
Her dreams are to become an Olympian fencer one day. Zuri has the backing of the Dominica Olympic Committee, which is celebrating a stellar Olympic season after Thea LaFond secured the country’s first gold medal in Paris.
Keep an eye on Zuri Alfred – she’s a Caribbean athlete destined for greatness on the Olympic stage
