Edinburgh fencer Susie Seddon-Cowell, 28, was part of an inexperienced British mixed sabre team who narrowly missed out on a medal at the Para Fencing European Championships in Cardiff, finishing fourth.
Seddon-Cowell, a former University of Edinburgh athlete, combined with Justine Moore, James Burke and Shah Rashid as defeats against France and Ukraine dashed their hopes of bronze on home soil.
Difficult journey to the continental showpiece
Seddon-Cowell has endured a hugely difficult journey to reach the continental showpiece, battling internal barriers to set up a para fencing pathway at the University of Edinburgh.
She was unable to cap a medal-winning trip to the Welsh capital, but teammate Moore, a three-time bronze medallist here over the opening two days, believes the team will bounce back.
Learning curve for new-look team
“For us, it’s a learning curve,” she said. “For the team, it’s about having the experience. Hopefully the next one we go to we can get a bit better and improve our performances.”
“It’s the first time we’ve competed as a team together, so it’s a new thing. We just have to work together and improve for the next time. It’s still been an amazing week overall.”
First qualification event for Los Angeles 2028
The Para Fencing European Championships, supported by funding from UK Sport through The National Lottery, and Welsh Government, will be held in Cardiff on the 6th-11th October 2026, seeing athletes from across Europe compete in the first qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
