An upcoming Olympian!

With lightning reflexes and nerves of steel, junior fencer Sophia Lai is carving her name into the record books, one decisive touch at a time. Not only has she represented team USA in the Junior Olympics but she’s also the first Junior Olympic competitor to come from Reedy!

“My biggest goal for my fencing career is to go back and compete in the Olympics in the future,” Lai said.

 “It was first introduced to me by a family friend around six years ago.” 

Lai said that when she started the sport, finding an effective balance between fencing and school work proved to be challenging. 

“The most challenging part is just balancing it with my schoolwork and everything because I take 5 APs and I travel a bunch,” Lai said. 

However, her consistent academic strength and dedication to fencing has not gone unnoticed. She has been accepted to Duke for fencing, and will be representing them all throughout college. When she goes to college, Sophia will continue to balance academics and sports, a rhythm she is now accustomed to.

“Straight after school I go to practice, I come home at around nine. I do my homework until one, then I sleep and repeat,” Lai said. 

But fencing is not only hard work. Sophia said she enjoys exploring the cities she visits on her day off of tournaments. 

“Whenever I don’t have to compete I love exploring the cities with my teammates and sightseeing,” Lai said. “That’s one of the perks of being on a travel team.”

Sophia’s fencing career has taken her far and wide, allowing her to see some of the world’s most beautiful cities! 

“One of my favorite places I’ve competed at was Paris; I mostly enjoyed exploring the city on my day off,” Lai said.

Fencing has not only had an impact on her inside of the rink but on the outside as well. “Fencing has taught me a lot, especially with patience and also with critical thinking skills,” Lai said. “Whether it’s thinking about how to get around obstacles or if something doesn’t go your way, just learn from it and continue trying to change and getting better at what you do wrong.”