By Will Castle
Henry Patient says camaraderie is key within wheelchair fencing as he looks to follow in the footsteps of his idols and earn Paralympic medals.
Tonbridge fencer Patient, 23, is one of the fastest rising British prospects in his sport, earning him selection on a prestigious SportsAid programme for a second time.
He has gone from strength to strength after kicking off 2024 with a top 32 finish Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Cardiff - his biggest achievement to date.
But wheelchair fencing means much more to Patient than fame or glory and he is part of a community which sees everyone from novices to Paralympic greats lean on each other.
“Community is a big thing,” he said. “Everyone I've met in the sport has always been super nice and super helpful.
“The first training camp I ever went to, which was just run by some lady in a local school hall, had a couple of the Paralympians come down and train with us for the weekend. I think that really kind of sets the tone.
“Even the people right at the top - one of the guys, Dimitri Coutya, just won two individual golds and two team medals - he was there just chatting to everybody, inspiring us and giving out tips.
“I think because it's quite a small community in the UK, it’s a really small close-knit group. Everyone from beginners right up through to the Paralympic guys all work together and everyone is aware of the daily struggles.”
Being in such close contact with British sporting icons such as Coutya and eight-time Paralympic medallist Piers Gilliver acts as motivation for Patient, inspiring him further to reach the pinnacle.
“Inspiring is a good choice of words,” he added. “They’re phenomenal athletes and they're both so lovely and so grounded.
“My ambition is definitely to go to a Games. I’d like to go to LA because I think that will be a pretty remarkable Games, but Brisbane would also be pretty amazing.
“The problem with making the team at the moment is that Dimitri and Piers are maybe the two best wheelchair fencers who've ever done the sport, so there's about six people competing for that last third spot.
“We’ll see what comes of that. It might be that they retire after 2028, and then there's space for the rest of us to kind of fill the void.
“But we’ll see. 2028 is a dream, but I think 2032 is the one I'm looking at as a lot more of a sensible target.”
Patient is one of 50 athletes across a multitude of sports supported by a partnership between SportsAid and Pitching In, a multimillion-pound grassroots sport programme established by Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral.
The grant has been immensely valuable to Patient in funding his progression, not only providing him with the training necessary for an elite athlete but also allowing him to travel to major events and stamp his mark on the bigger stage.
“The money allowed me to go to my first actual senior World Cup - my first proper international competition down in Cardiff, which was amazing,” he said.
“That was a big chunk of the grant and another big chunk of it went to getting some more kit, but the main thing it's allowed me to do this year is actually start going to one of the places you can properly train as a wheelchair fencer in London.
“Being able to break into that space and then be able to get some coaching from the guy who coaches the world number one, that's really the next phase.
“It's going to let me be able to seriously entertain, either the 2028 or 2032 Paralympic Games as more realistic targets.”
Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here