Two-time Paralympic champion Dimitri Coutya is preparing for the European Championships in Cardiff next month as one of the most experienced members of a youthful British team. The 28-year-old is aiming for a landmark tenth European title while also helping to nurture the next generation of British fencing talent.
Veteran status in a young squad
Fourteen home fencers will compete in the Welsh capital at the first European-based qualification event ahead of the LA2028 Paralympics. Coutya has been fencing for 17 years and competing internationally for 14, having burst onto the scene as a teenager.
He is a two-time Paralympic, four-time world and eight-time European champion. As he prepares for a third consecutive pair of individual European golds in his épée and foil B events, he hopes to pass on his insight to younger team members.
Giving back to the sport
“I've been finding a lot of meaning in it recently,” he said. “I'm pretty experienced as an athlete now – I’ve been fencing for 17 years and internationally competing for 14 years.”
“So, I'm 28, but in some ways, I feel like a bit of an old boy now doing this. I feel proud that, at least at some point in my career, I could say, ‘hey, I've done these things, and I've achieved what I dreamt of doing when I first started the sport.’”
“With it comes a lot of pressure as well - I'm wanting to try and set an example to the newer athletes and the less experienced athletes coming through. I feel like it's good to try and give back to the sport a little bit. I've learned so much about myself through doing this sport and achieved so much from it, so to be able to now try and help guide others on a similar journey feels the right thing to do at the moment.”
Home soil event
The event will take place at the Sport Wales National Centre and marks the first time the European Championships have been held in Cardiff. Coutya first won continental gold in Terni, Italy in 2018, followed by four triumphs in Warsaw in 2022 and three in Paris in 2024.
After winning two individual bronzes in Tokyo, he upgraded to two golds and now arrives in Cardiff as the reigning Paralympic, world and European champion. Global glory in Iksan, South Korea followed last year.
“I think it's always special,” he added. “It’s really exciting, and I feel proud to be able to say that the UK are hosting major championships like this now. It’s always such a special feeling to be performing in front of friends and family. You want to put on a good show for them, so it's wonderful to be having a Europeans on home soil.”
“If I managed to double gold here, it would be third time in a row that I've managed to do it. That’s a personal little challenge that would be nice to have, but in terms of longer-term preparation, this is just the first stepping stone for LA, which is the real target.”
The Para Fencing European Championships will be held in Cardiff from 6th-11th October 2026, with athletes from across Europe competing in the first qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
