Fencing

Australian Team Profile

There have been several event changes for fencing at the Beijing Olympics. The men's team foil event has been dropped, while the women's foil and sabre team events have replaced the team epee event.

Two women - Jo Halls and Amber Parkinson - have the unenviable task of trying to become the first Australians to medal in the sport.

Halls has been selected in her second Olympic team, having previously represented Australia at the 2000 Sydney Games. She finished 37th in the foil event, and will be out to better that this time round.

Her recent performances include winning the Asia/Oceania Beijing qualifying tournament to become the first Australian to qualify through the zone competition for Olympic Qualifiers rather than the world rank list. Jo joins her sister Evelyn as a two-time Olympian with the latter having competed in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

Parkinson will be making her Olympic Games debut in the individual epee event. The 31-year-old's career highlights include a second place at the Asian Fencing Championships in China in 2007.

The fencing events will be held at the newly constructed Fencing Hall of National Convention Center at the Olympic Green, with events being held from August 9 to 17.

Australia has struggled in the sport which has been contested at every Olympics since 1896. Recently, the men's epee team placed eighth in Sydney in 2000 and Evelyn Halls finished 12th in women's epee in Athens in 2004.

Australian Olympic Fencing Team:

Women:
Jo Halls - Individual foil
Amber Parkinson - Individual epee