Anita Blaze (born 29 October 1991) is a French right-handed

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

fencer, two-time Olympian, and 2021 team Olympic silver medalist. Blaze competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Career

France podium 2013 Fencing WCH FFS-EQ t215410

Blaze was born in

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and ...

, an

overseas region The overseas departments and regions of France (french: départements et régions d'outre-mer, ; ''DROM'') are departments of France that are outside metropolitan France, the European part of France. They have exactly the same status as mainla ...

of France. She took up fencing at the age of four and learnt the sport in the club of

Petit-Bourg Petit-Bourg ( gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Tibou, ) is the seventh-largest commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. It is located on the east side of the island of Basse-Terre, and is part of the metropolitan area of Pointe-à-Pitr ...

. She quickly showed talent and was selected into a centre for promising athletes in

metropolitan France Metropolitan France (french: France métropolitaine or ''la Métropole''), also known as European France (french: Territoire européen de la France) is the area of France which is geographically in Europe. This collective name for the European ...

. She won a team silver medal in the 2008 Cadet European Championships in Rovigo and an individual silver medal in the 2010 Junior World Championships in Baku. She joined the French senior national team, with whom she earned a team silver medal in the 2012 European Championships in Legnano. She competed in the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

in London as first reserve. After defeating Poland in the quarter-finals, France were routed 45–22 by Italy, whose team comprised all three individual Olympic medallists. France met South Korea in the final for the bronze medal. Blaze managed to reduce the 12-hit advantage acquired early by Korea, but France lost eventually 32 to 45. In the 2012–13 season Blaze reached the quarter-finals in the Budapest Grand Prix and earned a double silver medal in the French national championship. She finished 30th in the

Fencing World Cup The FIE Fencing World Cup is an international fencing competition held by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime. In each weapon (Men's and Women's Épée, Sabre and Foil), three Grand Prix, five World Cup events and several satellite events ...

, a career best as of 2014. She took another team silver medal at the 2013 European Championships in Zagreb, after France was again defeated by Italy. History repeated itself at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

a month later in Budapest: France met Italy in the final and lost heavily 45–18, coming home with a silver medal. In the 2013–14 season Blaze reached the quarter-finals in the Tauberbischofsheim Grand Prix, but otherwise disappointing results and a calf strain caused her to be dropped from the French team that won bronze medals in the

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

and the

. In the 2014–15 season Blaze climbed the first World Cup podium in her career with a bronze medal in the Torino Grand Prix, after she was defeated in the semi-final by twice World champion

Arianna Errigo Arianna Errigo (born 6 June 1988) is an Italian left-handed foil and sabre fencer. Errigo is a nine-time team European champion, two-time individual European champion, six-time team world champion, and two-time individual world champion. Known ...

Medal record

Olympic Games

World Championship

European Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup

References

External links

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archive
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blaze, Anita 1991 births Living people French female foil fencers Olympic fencers of France Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics People from Baie-Mahault Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in fencing Olympic silver medalists for France World Fencing Championships medalists