Ready to conquer

With less than two years professional experience as a fencer, Connor Strydom has made history by being a gold medallist in the sport.
Tunohole Mungoba
Connor Strydom is not your typical 16-year-old. Besides being a grade 11 learner, Strydom recently came back from Botswana after winning gold medals during the opening of the Thobega Fencing Academy in Gaborone.

“I am a learner at Windhoek International School in grade 11 doing my International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. I am 16 years old and I am also a fencer,” he said.

Strydom was inspired to start fencing by his older brother, Dillion, who is currently studying abroad.

“He had started fencing as an activity when he was doing his IB diploma. I was interested in it as it was a really cool concept,” he tells The Zone. “I have been fencing for almost two years.”

Strydom is also a proud member of the Windhoek Fencing Club.

Fencing is organised sport involving the use of a sword called an épée for attack and defence, according to set movements and rules.

“The competition held in Botswana was different from what I previously experienced here. It was a great experience, as I was able to fence against multiple new opponents whom I had never fenced against before,” explained Strydom.

“I was therefore able to test my ability to achieve gold in both the categories (junior and senior). I was amazing and a great achievement, not only for myself, but for fencing in Namibia as well,” he said.

Previously, Strydom attended two competitions in South Africa - one in Bloemfontein where he placed ninth out of 21 participants in the cadet category and another in Cape Town where he placed nineteenth out of 21 participants.

“In Namibian competitions I had gotten silver. In the Thobega Fencing Academy’s competition, I received gold in the junior and senior categories,” he said.

Although Strydom has achieved, he feels Namibia still has a lot to learn in terms of fencing.

“With Namibia having such a tiny fencing community, especially with only being one club (the Windhoek Fencing Club), finding challenging opponents is a struggle,” he said. “Namibia is also far from most international events, besides those hosted in South Africa. I am not able to attend the competitions in Europe, which is also a challenge.”

His highlight is seeing the progress he has made from when he began his journey as a fencer.

“With more popularity, I believe Namibian fencing can do well in neighbouring countries such as South Africa. I believe some fencers would be able to attend international events in Europe. However, this requires much more popularity and support for the sport,” he said.

After he finishes his IB diploma, Strydom would like to study animation or graphic design, and also continue with fencing and attend competitions in Europe to further his skills.

Fast facts about Connor:

· Favourite food: Chicken barbecue pizza.

· Favourite song: I have a variety of songs, but I enjoy anything from Jon Bellion.

· Favourite hangout spot in Windhoek: Anywhere with my friends.

· One motto you live by: Work now and you will be able relax later.

· One Namibian person you look up to: Not anyone specific, but I appreciate anyone who makes the best of their situation and continues fighting.

· If you could have one superpower: Teleportation; to get anywhere. I would want to be in the world, since there are so many amazing places and I could get there instantly.

· Last book you read: ‘The god of small things’ by Arundhati Roy.

· Summer or winter: Winter.