Josh Waddell hopes experience beyond his years can help him find his ‘world-class’ best at this week’s Para Fencing European Championships. The Sunderland star, who graduated from Durham University this summer, is only 23 years old but has been a mainstay on the British Fencing circuit for multiple years.
Having taken up the sport aged just seven, Waddell first competed internationally at the age of 14 and was part of the Paris Paralympic qualification team alongside Dimitri Coutya, Piers Gilliver and Oliver Lam-Watson. Waddell admits to having suffered more lows than highs on the international stage after a jam-packed early career. But he hopes learning from those setbacks, plus experience of competing alongside the world's best, can reap rewards in Cardiff when action gets underway tomorrow.
A career built on resilience
“My coach will attest to this – I had zero talent, but I kept coming back and was always very committed!” he laughed. “Strangely, I’ve got a lot of experience of performing badly – I’ve lost so much on the international stage, and that’s the one bit of advice I’d give to the younger guys is that it’s okay to lose.
“Finding enjoyment is key – it’s great being able to compete against the best in the world. I was with Dimitri, Piers and Oliver for every competition and prep camp ahead of Paris – I was lucky enough to be part of that group and learn from the guys, who are obviously incredibly successful.
“One of my greatest strengths is the ability to learn and say that I’m not very good at something. I know that I’m world-class – but I know that I’m not afraid to say ‘I’m not too great at this aspect, can you help me?’ For someone of my age at 23, you don’t see that too often – it sounds weird but when I say I’ve been competing at such a high level for so long, it makes sense.”
First European event in Cardiff
This 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. Waddell recently fenced at a World Cup event in Thailand, the same country where he claimed two memorable gold medals on the Under-23 world stage two years earlier.
He now makes the long trip from Sunderland to the Welsh capital as one of 14 British fencers – also including fellow north-east star Emily Holder – competing at the continental showpiece. And he is hoping to make his mark in the maiden European-based qualification event for the LA2028 Paralympics.
Focus on the piste
Waddell added: “I just want to get on the piste and have some fun. It’s a really great time to be a part of the sport, and this is obviously the first qualification event for LA. There’s no better stage to be fencing on – you want to be against the best and this is the place to be.
“It’s not going to get any easier, so why shy away from it? Who knows what can happen – maybe I can pull a great result out of the bag. If it goes my way great, but if it doesn’t, sometimes it goes that way as well. I just want to try and put my best fencing forward and go from there.”
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.
