SINGAPORE — The four-gold-medal haul by Singapore’s national youth fencers at the Commonwealth Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships is proof the sport is on the right track in the Republic, said Fencing Singapore vice-president Francis Kwong.

Until now, Singapore had never tasted success at the triennial meet since its inception in 2006, but broke their duck in style this past week in Cape Town, South Africa.

Yesterday, Amita Berthier, who won the women’s individual foil cadet title earlier in the championships, secured her second gold medal after edging Scotland’s Chloe Dickson 15-13 in the women’s individual foil event juniors (under-20) final.

Singapore also won the men’s foil cadet individual title through Ryan Ong, while Kiria Tikanah took the women’s epee cadet individual event. Ong also won a bronze in the men’s individual foil (junior) category at the meet which ends today.

Coming a month after Singapore’s performance at the 28th SEA Games, where they won three gold, three silver and seven bronze medals, Kwong believes the breakthrough achieved at the Commonwealth meet in South Africa points to a promising future for the sport in Singapore.

“The success at the Commonwealth Cadets and Juniors Championships is testament to the capabilities of our younger fencers,” said Kwong. “It also shows that Fencing as a sport is definitely gaining momentum at the different levels (in Singapore). “The success of Singapore at this championships also further emphasises that good performances requires the support of the entire (fencing) fraternity, including the clubs, parents, coaches, schools and all other stakeholders.”

But Kwong added that the momentum gained must not be lost, with particular attention being paid to the improvement of their developmental pipeline. “Fencing Singapore is in the process of internal assessment,” he said. “Working together with the community, we are looking to update our current systems to prepare for the needs of the sport in the next 10 years and that requires support and dialogue with all stakeholders within the ecosystem.

“We see a steady stream of talent coming through and with tremendous support from parents, clubs and schools, which is very encouraging. This also indicates that our developmental pathway is slowing taking shape. Our long-term aim is to provide the necessary infrastructure for continuous sustainability at the youth level, while working hand in hand with our affiliates.

“However, while we are seeing good results at the moment, the greater challenge for us will be to keep the talent after they reach different stages of their lives such as pursuing their higher education or being drafted into National Service. This is a gap in our pathway that we must address.”

For Amita, her performance in Cape Town is further testament to her potential. But the 15-year-old, who won the under-13 girls’ foil title at the 2013 Challenge Wratislavia — one of the world’s most prestigious youth fencing meets — knows she cannot dwell on her latest success.

“But I’ll still be looking to improve my performance,” Amita, a student at the Singapore Sports School, told TODAY. “Once I’m back in Singapore, I’ll be reviewing the videos of my bouts with my coach and training hard so I’ll be able to do well in any upcoming competitions.”