Anna Lee Q&A: ‘Every attack has to start really slowly, so they don’t know they’re being attacked’

Anna Lee won the women’s foil at the Irish Open, the flagship fencing event in Ireland, adding to her National and East of Ireland titles. Aged 18, she is also studying for her Leaving Cert this year.

Philip Lee, Anna’s father, is chairman of the recently renamed Fencing Ireland, which oversees the running of the sport. There are 19 fencing clubs in the Republic, including eight college-based clubs. They have a good relationship with the Northern Ireland federation, which holds its Open event in January, while the Irish National Championships are set for April.

Q: First of all, congratulations on your Irish Open win.