A CO Antrim teenager has been granted £500 for his fencing endeavours.
Sean Chen (17) from Lisburn has won the Northern Ireland Junior Foil (one of the three fencing weapons) in the U16 division.
He has also placed in the top 16 in the British Youth Championships for his age group.
However, he is currently recovering from an Achilles injury that he sustained in August which means that he cannot participate in his normal training programme for a year.
Sean is originally from rural China, where he says that he and his family had limited opportunities to participate in sport however he say his passion for the sport is helping him navigate his injury.
“Sport can be cruel, and setbacks like this injury are part of the journey, but it’s all about the comeback. My passion for fencing is what keeps me going.”
“I hope I can encourage and inspire other young athletes to pursue their dreams in the face of setbacks,” Sean said.
The bursary has been provided by the Hughes Insurance and Mary Peter’s Trust. They deliver financial support to the north’s young athletes, and Lady Mary Peters voiced her hopes for Sean’s continued success and recovery.
“Injuries happen, and while we often hear about the successes, it’s important to acknowledge the hard work and commitment behind the scenes. Fencing is an incredibly demanding sport”
She added; “Sean has done and continues to do Northern Ireland proud as he focuses on his long-term goals of competing internationally and I hope this bursary helps alleviate some of the costs associated with training and coming back from an injury.”
The trust have now been facilitating these bursaries for four years as part of their Action for Impact programme. So far, they have donated £20,000 towards funding young athletes.
More bursaries will be presented during the final months of this year.