Double gold for Dimitri Coutya as Bath-based wheelchair fencers earn first medals of 2023 at IWAS World Cup in Washington DC
Dimitri Coutya won double gold in Washington DC as wheelchair fencers who train at the University of Bath picked up where they left off in 2022 by enjoying more medal success at the first IWAS World Cup of the year.
World and European Champion Coutya, coached by Peter Rome at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, secured his first gold in the Category B epee with a dominant 15-5 win over Poland’s Michal Dabrowski in the final.
He continued that fantastic form in the foil competition, conceding just 13 hits in three knockout bouts before securing the title with a 15-12 victory over Maxime Valet of France.
Coutya, who began his week by winning bronze in the sabre, then teamed up with Oliver Lam-Watson, Shah Rashid and Joshua Waddell to secure silver for British Fencing in the team foil event, narrowly losing 45-42 to Italy in a close-fought final.
Gemma Collis, who does some of her training in Bath, was also on the podium in Washington after winning bronze in the women’s Category A sabre.
The Washington World Cup was the first competition for GB since the purpose-built Wheelchair Fencing National Training Centre was officially opened at the Sports Training Village in December 2022.
Click here to find out more about the wheelchair fencing programme at the University of Bath.
