Justine Moore hopes the European Championships coming to Cardiff can continue her work inspiring the next generation of para fencing talent. The 34-year-old from Longsight competed for ParalympicsGB at London 2012 and will be one of 14 British athletes travelling to the Welsh capital next week.
Inspiring through schools
Away from the piste, Moore gives motivational speeches at schools around the north-west and is passionate about raising the profile of both fencing and parasport in general. The first European Championships in the UK since Sheffield in 2011 will continue that trend, and Moore, who won a silver and two bronzes at a recent satellite competition in Turkey, is looking forward to being part of it.
“Cardiff is going to be amazing,” she said. “I’m really passionate about inspiring the younger generation – I go into schools to talk about it and it’s really nice when you see your influence make someone else take up the sport.”
Experienced hand in young team
Next week’s event will take place at the Sport Wales National Centre and marks the first time the European Championships have been held in Cardiff. Having represented ParalympicsGB during that storied London summer 14 years ago, Moore is one of the more experienced members of an otherwise youthful British team.
She will be joined by Paralympic champions Dimitri Coutya and Piers Gilliver, while women’s teammates Emily Holder and Gemma Collis recently won a historic silver medal at a World Cup event in Indonesia.
Ready for Cardiff
Moore praised the unity of the group and hopes weeks of preparation, plus familiarity with the venue after a Cardiff World Cup event in 2022, can help them succeed. “We’re all open to give advice and help each other throughout,” she added. “We all have a good connection – if someone is struggling on something we help to break it down into scenario work to make both of us better.”
The Para Fencing European Championships, supported by funding from UK Sport through The National Lottery and Welsh Government, will be held in Cardiff from 6th to 11th October 2026, with athletes from across Europe competing in the first qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
