Piers Gilliver GBR Wheelchair Fencer
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Piers Gilliver, I am 20 years old and a Team GBR Wheelchair Fencer and in March 2014 my sport recently had all of it's UK Sport funding cut and I had to raise funds to support all of my considerable training and competition costs, which thanks to the generosity of private sponsors/donors and my parents I just managed to get by.
I started wheelchair fencing in 2010 and competing internationally in 2012. I am now ranked No 3 in the World in Men's A Epee and No 14 in Men's A Foil.
After a great 2014 season which culminated in three back-to-back Gold Medals, I am currently ranked No 1 in the World in the IWASF Rio 2016 Paralympic rankings in the Men's cat A and therefore target to qualify for Rio.
There are three fencing weapons; Foil, Epee and Sabre. Wheelchair fencers usually fence two weapons and mine are Foil and Epee. I have also fenced Sabre at national Level and I am both the current Men's Epee and Men's Sabre National Chamion.
I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and a currently undiagnosed neurological condition. I became a full time wheelchair user in 2007.
When I started fencing, I knew that I had found my sport!
It is a fast, exciting sport that challenges the mind as well as the body!
My goal is to be able to continue to train and compete at elite level in my sport in order to maintain, improve and continue to represent my country in this great sport!
My dream is really a continuation of my goal - to have the honour of winning a medal for my country , my family and myself at the Rio Paralympics 2016 and beyond to Tokyo 2020. In return, I will give all that I have to my sport.
It has been said that it takes eight years to train a fencer, I have been fencing for nearly four years and feel that I have already acheived so much - I feel the future is limitless and my dream of becoming a World Champion and Paralympic Medallist is now not such a distant thought!
Thank you for your time and interest!
Piers
As of February 2015 UK Sport have recognised me as a Podium level athlete and added me to their funding programme which will meet my training,coaching and competeting costs through to the Rio 2016 Paralympics. I will also have access to a range of additional athlete support services.
Whilst this funding is fantastic, I still need to raise funds in order to help me meet the additional costs associated with being a full time athlete and any support that you can give will as always, be very much appreciated!
I started wheelchair fencing in 2010 and competing internationally in 2012. I am now ranked No 3 in the World in Men's A Epee and No 14 in Men's A Foil.
After a great 2014 season which culminated in three back-to-back Gold Medals, I am currently ranked No 1 in the World in the IWASF Rio 2016 Paralympic rankings in the Men's cat A and therefore target to qualify for Rio.
There are three fencing weapons; Foil, Epee and Sabre. Wheelchair fencers usually fence two weapons and mine are Foil and Epee. I have also fenced Sabre at national Level and I am both the current Men's Epee and Men's Sabre National Chamion.
I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and a currently undiagnosed neurological condition. I became a full time wheelchair user in 2007.
When I started fencing, I knew that I had found my sport!
It is a fast, exciting sport that challenges the mind as well as the body!
My goal is to be able to continue to train and compete at elite level in my sport in order to maintain, improve and continue to represent my country in this great sport!
My dream is really a continuation of my goal - to have the honour of winning a medal for my country , my family and myself at the Rio Paralympics 2016 and beyond to Tokyo 2020. In return, I will give all that I have to my sport.
It has been said that it takes eight years to train a fencer, I have been fencing for nearly four years and feel that I have already acheived so much - I feel the future is limitless and my dream of becoming a World Champion and Paralympic Medallist is now not such a distant thought!
Thank you for your time and interest!
Piers
Organizer
Piers Gilliver
Organizer
