Yu wants Warsaw win

"I love this tournament, it is one of the best in the series – great hospitality and organization of competition. I am so looking forward to this year’s event.”

A seven-time Paralympic champion, Yu Chui Yee knows what it feels like to be in title-winning form. The Hong Kong star is enjoying that feeling ahead of the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) wheelchair fencing World Cup in Warsaw, Poland, taking place 29 June – 2 July.

Yu narrowly missed out on gold at Rio 2016, winning silver in the women’s foil category A competition and again as part of the Hong Kong women’s epee team.

After a period of post-Paralympics downtime, she is now firmly focused on making podium places a habit again before the Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Rome in November.

Yu already has one title to her name in 2017, taking women’s epee category A gold at the World Cup in Stadskanaal, Netherlands, in May, and heads to Warsaw as the event’s defending women’s foil category A champion.

“I had quite a long period of reduced training after the Paralympic Games, so the Stadskanaal event was my first World Cup after Rio,” Yu explained.

“I was feeling good in Stadskanaal with good preparation. And I am even better prepared for Warsaw with my physical and technical training. I hope I will get [a] good result in Warsaw – as I always do at this World Cup.

“I have competed in Warsaw every year since 2002. I love this tournament, it is one of the best in the series – great hospitality and organization of competition. I am so looking forward to this year’s event.”

Given her form, Yu is looking forward to the whole season, and preparations for an assault on the World Championships are already underway.

“This season the main goal is the World Championships in Rome. I am so excited – I haven't been to Rome before. The Italian team is a great team especially with [foil category B Paralympic champion] Bebe Vio, so we all want to compete in Rome. Also, it is a city with lots of history and great architecture so I will really love to explore.”

The tournament in Warsaw is the penultimate event before World Championships, with the season’s final World Cup of the 2017 series scheduled to take place in Atlanta, USA, in September. Yu is therefore intent on making the most of every chance to test her performance. She is pleased with the results so far.

“Training is an ongoing process,” Yu said. “We are always preparing for the competitions, but we will have some special preparation for the World Championships to be in peak technical and also physical condition.

“As I prepare for the World Championships, the World Cups are a good chance for me to gain experience so I can have a better picture of my condition.”

“I had a good start with medals so I think it is going to be a great season for me.”

You can find more information on the IWAS World Cup in Warsaw, Poland, here.