Louise Sadler

Commonwealth medallist balancing fencing and studying, showing that you can do it all 

Written for Cymru Women’s Sport by Alex Bousfield

2020 Junior (U20) European Championships

Louise Sadler is Commonwealth Games team silver medallist and under 23 national champion in fencing. The epeeist has competed for both Wales and Great Britain since being an under 17. But she describes herself as a late starter to the sport, as she only picked up an epee at the age of 15. Just one year later, she was competing on the European circuit. 

Alongside the demands of fencing training, the 23-year-old also juggles university work and a part-time job. She is currently studying a news journalism master’s alongside her sporting endeavours. “I love being busy. I am a very driven person,” she says. Louise recognised that being organised and prioritising were two of the skills she has learnt from doing sport alongside her studies. A big part of enabling her to keep going is her support team. The biggest among those is her dad, who has supported her by taking her to sessions and being there every step of the way. 

Louise said that her biggest success in her fencing career so far has been her team silver medal at the Commonwealth Games for Wales in 2022. They were seen as the underdogs going into their bout against England but were able to clinch the victory and secure second place. Louise said that it wasn’t the medal that made it her biggest success but, “the teamwork and how much we wanted to prove to ourselves that we could do it. It made me realise that this is why I fence.” Her eyes are set on qualifying for the senior Europeans and Worlds this year. 

Louise grew up in Abergavenny and went to school in Cardiff. She did many different sports when she was younger including swimming, horse riding and running. This path led her into trying modern pentathlon when she was 14. Her love for the fencing aspect of modern pentathlon never left and she decided to take it even further. “I love both the tactical side and also the physicality of it. It is like a game of chess,” she says. 

She started fencing at Team Melia Cymru Fencing club in Monmouth and then moved to Malvern fencing club to train with more experienced opponents. But she said that her heart would always lie with the Welsh team. “The team environment in Wales is like one big family. I wouldn’t be as successful in GB if it wasn’t for the opportunities Welsh fencing had given to me,” Louise says. 

Despite her successes, Louise has experienced her fair share of challenges along the way. Early in her career she experienced relative energy deficiency syndrome (REDS) and was struggling to have enough energy to train. Overcoming this was very difficult but her love for the sport and the support of her family, coaches and friends was what made the difference. She said that there is still work to be done in the fencing community to recognise that female athletes can look very different to one another. However, there is a big shift to improving this through communication and openness. 

Resilience is the lesson that Louise took away from her challenges during her sporting career. Striving to achieve what, “little Lu would want,” is what keeps her going. She said that she has always kept dreaming and never stopped doing what she loved. She believes that this is what everyone should aim for.