A TOP British disabled fencer from Drybrook is en-garde for the start of his 2014 international competition season.

Having been selected to British Disabled Fencing Association's (BDFA) world class programme for the next Paralympic cycle, Piers Gilliver has just started his 2014 international wheelchair fencing campaign and has competitions coming up in France and Italy in the next few months, followed by the European Championships in Strasbourg in June.

The programme focuses on athletes with Paralympic potential and the selected team of four trains together regularly at in the high performance training environment recently established at the National Badminton Centre, Milton Keynes. At these national camps, Piers receives input from the national coaches and sports science support staff (physiotherapy, psychology, strength and conditioning, nutrition and performance analysis) with his fellow GB fencers, to aid his development and improve performance.

Piers fences foil and epee, and was 16 when he first started fencing after becoming a full-time wheelchair user. Prior to this he had been heavily involved with other sports but had always been interested in trying fencing. Now, at the age of 18, Piers has achieved two podium places since competing at an international level and is aiming to continue this improvement.

Selection onto the world-class programme took a lot of training and commitment. Piers said: "The process was not easy and when I found out I had been successful I was elated and relieved. Without being on the programme I would have not been able to continue my training."

Until recently Piers had been studying fine art at college but has put this on hold to focus on his training. He said: "I believe there are opportunities for top level fencers and that is my goal. I want to focus on this and nothing else. Fencing requires total dedication and an agile mind, as well as an agile body."

In 2012 Piers was selected onto the Paralympic Inspiration programme; a programme that provides young talented athletes with an insight into the London 2012 Paralympics. Piers visited the athlete village and got to participate in the finale of the Heroes Parade. "I attended the Paralympics to watch the wheelchair fencing and it really motivated me. It was great to get the opportunity to see the fencers that I now compete against, and to be able to cheer my fellow GB fencers on.

"So far I have achieved two podium places since I started competing at international level in July 2012. My goal for 2014 is to improve my fencing and to be more consistent in achieving more podium places."

The BDFA has received a big setback with the announcement that following a period of funding reviews, UK Sport has decided to completely withdraw its support for the programme for this next Paralympic cycle.

Losing the £200,000 annual funding from UK Sport will possibly mean that without private investment, the British Disabled Fencing Association's world class programme will cease to exist.

Justine Willmott, performance manager, said: "It is a huge disappointment that wheelchair fencing has had its performance funding totally cut by UK Sport, given the amount of progress that our young group of developing GB wheelchair fencers has made in the last 12 months.

"With Piers Gilliver now ranked in the world's top 10 in men's epee, Gabi Down in the world's top 15 in women's epee and other fencers rising rapidly, it is a real shame that they are highly unlikely to get the opportunity to fulfil their potential and vie for a medal spot not just at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, but also at Tokyo 2020."