Downing's Summer of Sport: Rudi Bruijn-Yard
Here’s a name to remember for future Olympics - Rudi Bruijn-Yard. Rudi is a fourth-year Veterinary Medicine student and current Captain of both the University Modern Pentathlon and Fencing teams. Currently ranked 16th in Great Britain in Fencing, he has his sights set on the Olympic Games in 2028. We spoke about his sporting journey so far and how he balances his sports with his studies.
How did you become interested in Fencing / Modern Pentathlon?
I first became interested in Fencing during a school demonstration. The coach took us to the sports hall to learn about the evolution of modern fencing. I remember him pulling all sorts of sponge clubs, maces and swords from a chest and telling us tall tales about how people used to duel and why the shape of the blade is a V (in order to see your opponent’s blood spill down the blade). Of course, the idea of playing with toy swords is enough to encourage any child to come to training and I quickly picked up the basics and moved on to more intensive training.
I began fencing foil which employs right of way and uses the torso as a target area. I switched to epee, which is a heavier blade and whose target area is the entire body, in order to train for Modern Pentathlon. I also started Modern Pentathlon through a trial program at my school. It interested me because I have always been involved in a diversity of sports and Modern Pentathlon offered the perfect challenge to test my abilities. I was already a competitive swimmer and I had experience in fencing so I worked to pick up the other elements so that I could compete for school and ultimately nationally.
When did you realise you had a talent for the sport and how did you get involved in national and international competitions?
I realised I had a talent when I started taking part in competitions and seeing success at quite a young age. This success first came in foil and swimming. I competed for my swimming club regionally and then nationally whilst also fencing in regional tournaments. I have been very fortunate to have supportive parents who helped me to secure the best coaching I could. These coaches pushed me to achieve national qualification which started with the British Youth Championships for Fencing. This gave me my first experience of national competition, but it wasn’t until much later, when I switched to Epee, that I began to attend competitions which qualified me for international selection. A few of the national team coaches then invited me to Athlete Development Program (ADP) training camps which gave me exposure to the type of training required to achieve my goals internationally.
My first international competition was a European Fencing Championship in Helsinki. Since then I have been selected to compete at the Cadet Fencing World Championships and in my first year as a senior competitor won third place at the U23 National Championships and I am currently ranked 16th in Britain.
Who are your sporting role models?
Joseph Choong is a competitor I admire for their sheer talent and determination. He is the current Olympic Champion and I had the pleasure of starting Modern Pentathlon at the same school as him, Whitgift. Another athlete our family has always admired is Novak Djokovic. We have always watched his tennis with awe, not only at his ability on the court but the grace with which he meets his opponents and his determination to play against the most impossible odds. Finally, Janja Garnbret. She is acclaimed now as the greatest female climber and possibly the greatest climber of any gender. I climb in my spare time, and what she can do whilst always appearing to enjoy her sport reminds me of why I am fencing.
What are you studying at Downing and why did you choose your subject?
I am studying Veterinary Medicine. I have always had an affinity for animals which likely stemmed from having cats as a child and also from horse riding at a young age. I am lucky enough to have a guardian who works in conservation and listening to his stories inspired me to one day work in conservation as a vet. I also enjoyed Biology and Chemistry at school despite my favourite subject being English. For my third year, I intercalated in Pathology as my special interest is in parasitology.
How do you balance your studies at Downing with training and competing?
I try to stick closely to my schedule of training and conveniently my sessions fall outside the timing of my lectures. I train early in the morning and in the evening, so this leaves time for both lectures and any supervision or extra work I need to do either before training or after dinner. I like to complete work as it arrives, and I will typically sequester myself in the library until things are done. I also try to plan as much as possible, including social activities so that I can juggle everything on my program.
Most of my competitions are at the weekend which doesn’t clash with the week’s work however I often find myself working to and from competitions to fit it all in.
What sporting goals would you like to achieve?
This season I set myself the goal of finishing within the top 20 on the national rankings at the end of the season and I’m very happy to have achieved this. Next season I hope to set my sights on the top 10 and my first selection for senior World Cups. I also hope to compete at U23 World Cups to qualify for U23 World Championships. My long term goal is to compete for either Great Britain or South Africa at the World Championships and ultimately the Olympics. I hope this might lead me to LA ’28.
Will you be watching the Olympics this summer? Who’s your top tip for a medal?
Yes! I am going to Paris to watch the Epee Team matches. I can’t quite decide on my predicted winner, but I think that the top three will be France, Hungary and Japan. I’m sure France will triumph for the home crowd. As for Modern Pentathlon, I think that the Egyptians have been so dominant for the past year that they have the best chance of peaking in time for the competition. Modern Pentathlon is always so unpredictable that I think anyone could win on the day.
Published 29 July 2024