From the Beijing Olympics straight to EC sports hall

By Aaron Scoones

Richard Kruse is coaching local fencers only a few days after having arrived back in Britain from the Beijing Olympics. (Pictures by Steve Sarre, 0631285)

AN OLYMPIAN has been putting Guernsey’s fencers through their paces.
Earlier this week, Great Britain’s Olympic squad touched down from Beijing at Heathrow.
On that plane was 25-year-old Richard Kruse who represented GB in fencing and is currently coaching the island’s fencers at a five-day training camp at Elizabeth College.
‘There was a fantastic atmosphere [on the plane], especially as we finished so high on the medal table,’ he said.
‘I can only compare the Olympics to Athens. The organisation was so much better in Beijing.
‘It was like a military operation. It was a much better experience.’
Kruse said that it was not until they had left Beijing that he realised what an impact the team’s success had had on the British public.
‘We were in a little bubble in Beijing,’ he said.
‘We didn’t get the papers until we were on the plane back home. The back four or five pages were full with the Olympics.
‘It’s a good thing in the build up to London.’
At the 2004 Games in Athens, Kruse reached the quarter-finals of the foil competition, which was Britain’s best performance for 40 years.
He had beaten USA’s Dan Kellner, the 2003 Pan-American Games champion, but lost to the eventual bronze medallist, Andrea Cassara, of Italy.
However, Beijing proved not to be so fruitful for Kruse as he crashed out of the second round of the individual foil at the hands of German world champion Peter Joppich.
‘I was 14th so I was a little bit disappointed,’ said Kruse.
‘There were 26 in the competition. It was harder to get there. It’s so tough.
‘I lost 10-9 so it was a bit gutting. It was on the last hit. I’m certainly better than that.’
Kruse said he is currently taking a break from competitive fencing.
But he is already looking towards 2012 and the London Olympics.
‘2012 – that’s the big one,’ he said.
‘It’s been a while since we won a fencing medal. Our funding has been increased 10 fold.
‘We’ve got full-time coaches, which we didn’t have before. I can’t really complain about anything now. It’s just down to us.’
This is about the sixth time that Kruse has coached in the island.
His visits came about after he met the Sarnia Sword Club’s professor of fencing, Dr Rob Harnish, on a coaching course in Budapest.
‘The standard has improved a lot since I’ve been coming here and it’s due to Rob’s hard work,’ said Kruse.
Top coaches Gabor Bognar, David Blisst and Attila Stanitz are also helping Harnish with the camp, along with local coach Julie Dyer.
Harnish was delighted to welcome Kruse and the others.
‘We’re really, really lucky,’ he said.
‘I don’t think there’s a club in England that has such a calibre of [visiting] coaches.
‘The thing the coaches who come over like is that the kids work and I don’t think it’s just in fencing. Kids in Guernsey work on their sport.’
Anybody interested in taking up fencing can email Harnish on rharnish@elizcoll.co.uk.