The Summer Olympics are only days away, but Ian Bullock and Oliver Bradley decided to get on the action, the Much Wenlock Olympics that is. and unlike the team GB who won’t be winning any fencing medals, Sutton Coldfield did come back with a Medal. For the plate that is but a Gong is still a Gong! Well done Ollie!
2024 Men’s Epee – Silver (Plate) – Oliver Bradley (1st Left)
Ollie thus joins a proud tradition of Wenlock medalists going right back to 1850, when William Penny Brookes founded the Wenlock Olympian Class – later Society – to “promote the moral physical and intellectual improvements of its inhabitants”. The Games became incredibly popular and in the 1860’s regularly attracted over 10000 spectators which at the time were able to see Britons compete in a diverse array of events such as running, leaping, bicycle riding, gymnastics, tilting at the ring, hurdles and hammer throwing.
In 1890 Baron de Corbertin, organiser of the International Congress of Physical Education, was invited to Much Wenlock to see the games and was much inspired, both he and Brookes sharing the dream of reviving the Olympic games. Inspired by what he saw he worked tirelessly to initiate the first International Olympic games would be eventually held in 1895. Sadly Brookes would die four months before. Most people still don’t know that the roots of the modern olympic movement very much lie with the little Shropshire town.
The first Wenlock fencing tournament was held in 1977. Oliver now joins a tradition of Wenlock Olympians at the Sutton Coldfield Fencing Club:
1996 Men’s Foil Bronze – Gavin Rudge
2002 Men’s Foil – Bronze – Rupert Haines
Men’s Foil – Bronze – Duncan Burbey
2007 Women’s Foil – Gold – Julie Foster
2017 Men’s Foil – Silver – Oliver Nash
The earliest Gong we won at the Club was Gavin Rudge’s bronze back in ’96, while our best result was Julie Foster winning women’s gold in 2007. As you see from the photo below right after the ’96 tournament, our chairman was resplendent in Daz white cotton duck (with zero breathability)
Ollie however joins a new breed of Wenlock Olympians. The Tournament was changed from a Foil tournament to an Epee event since the end of the pandemic. Hopefully Ollie will be the first of many epee Wenlock Olympians at the club.