Anna Bentley - National Champion again

"Fall down seven times, get up eight" - Japanese saying

I am delighted to be able to report that my friend Anna Bentley has succesfully retained her foil title at the National Championships yesterday. I've known Anna since she was a wee nipper (well, since she was 13 - she's always been as tall as me!) and I know that she has put huge amounts of effort into her competition and training over the last few years. Over the past month alone she has fenced in Cuba and Kiev and has had several up's and down's. Some would say that defending a title is easier than winning it the first time. Maybe so, but in some ways it's harder as the pressure is really on. The pressure has certainly been on Anna recently and I am extremely proud of her strength of character and fighting spirit. Enjoy that champagne Anna, you deserve it!