A young fencer from Swindon has won a silver medal after competing at the national championships for the sport.

Georgia Lovett, a pupil at Pinewood School, recorded her greatest achievement so far after winning silver at the Great British Youth Championships on Sunday, January 29.

After several early bouts, the young athlete reached the semi-final stage where she really turned on the style.

Guaranteed a medal, Lovett found the semi-final somewhat easier, drawing her opponent’s attack only to hit them as they began their final movement, winning 10-7 to make her first Great British Final

In the final she faced an opponent that she had lost 4-5 to from her pool but Georgia matched her hit for hit over the course of a cagey 5 minutes.

With time running out, Georgia was unable to match her opponent’s physicality, narrowly losing 4-6 yet winning the U12 Great British silver medal.

Georgia said: “I have being working on varying my tactics and being unpredictable so opponents don’t know what to expect and it paid dividends.

“I was thrilled to be in my first national final. I had a great day’s fencing though I was rather tired.

"I’m really pleased to make it to the final, which was very close and although I didn’t get gold, I’m still pleased with a national silver medal.”

Held at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, qualification to the finals comes via regional championships.

Coach Neil Bromley added: “Georgia has been putting in a lot of hard work during her lessons. She concentrates and applies what she learns quickly.

“I am hugely proud of her success and an incredible performance from an incredible fencer!”

Pinewood Headmaster Neal Bailey said: “We are thrilled with this result. Georgia has shown great talent for sword fencing and we are pleased to be supporting her pursuing her passion.

“At Pinewood, we give every child the opportunity to find a sport or activity where they can excel and we are very proud of the diverse range of sports we provide here.”

Pinewood Director of Sport James Siebert said: “Georgia displays a great deal of dedication, determination, and talent for sword fencing.

“With the British School Team Championships coming up in the spring, we are delighted to be entering our first all-girl fencing team into this competition and see how they perform.”