Foil fencer Leonie Ebert dreams of participating in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Along the way, contrary to her own moral beliefs, she also has to compete against Russian athletes.
The dream of participating in the 2024 Olympics in Paris is constantly present. Not only in her head, but also close to her head. The five Olympic rings dangle from Leonie Ebert’s necklace. “I give everything every day to achieve this dream,” says the 2022 European foil champion in an interview with SWR Sport.
The 23-year-old from Würzburg has already invested thirteen years of her life in this dream. She was there for the first time at the 2021 games in Tokyo. She was the only German fencer to qualify. In the round of 16 it was over. “When I got off the train in Tokyo, this dream of Paris had already begun.”
Violation of own values
But the dream has developed into a nightmare in recent months. But at least to a grueling mental tour de force. Because the current world rankings-13. not only fights against her opponents these days, but also has to deal intensively with her own moral values.
The trigger is the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. There had been bans on Russian athletes since the beginning of the war in February 2022. But in mid-March 2023, the World Fencing Federation FIE suddenly made a U-turn. The bans have been lifted, and Russian and Belarusian fencers are allowed to start as neutral athletes in FIE tournaments. The European association EFC, on the other hand, has excluded both member associations from competitions. A shambles.
The powerlessness of athletes
The athlete from FC Tauberbischofsheim took a clear stance together with her fencing colleagues: “As German fencers, we wrote an open letter saying that we didn’t believe in the Russians taking part in the competitions and automatically pushing out the Ukrainians. But as athletes we had no decision-making power.”
A frustrating situation for the reflective athlete. Ebert is not on good terms with the officials who made this decision. “It’s not those who made this political decision that are facing the Russians on the planche, I’m standing there with my moral dilemma.”
Ebert now tries to concentrate fully on the competitions and the necessary Olympic qualification points – if necessary against unwanted opponents. “Fencing is my job. My biggest dream is to go to the Olympics. That’s why I’ll also play against Russian women in qualifying or at the Olympics when it comes to these fights. As frustrating as it is.”
It is also frustrating that the competition calendar is constantly being mixed up by the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus. The European Championship was originally supposed to be held as part of the European Games at the end of June in Kraków, Poland. However, there is currently an entry ban for athletes from Russia and Belarus in Poland. However, since they are allowed to take part in the competitions, an alternative date was selected on the instructions of the world association FEI. The competitions were moved to Plowdiv in Bulgaria at short notice. An almost unique process in Olympic sports. Leonie Ebert, the defending foil champion, was eliminated in the round of 16.
Leonie Ebert: “Fencing is mental work”
At the upcoming World Championships in Milan (July 21-30), she wants to ignore all political discussions and finish as far up the front as possible. The Olympic qualification, which will last until April 2024, is “a nerve-racking and pressureful time.”
Despite her young age, Ebert has enormous mental strength. She knows: “Fencing is 70 percent head work and 30 percent body work. The real thing happens in the head. It’s about who wants it more in the end and who has the better answers to the opponent’s strategies.”
Your advantage: Leonie Ebert comes from a pure sports family. Sister Amelie (28) was a successful synchronized swimmer, brother Constantin (27) played Bundesliga basketball in Braunschweig. The three stick together like pitch and brimstone. The two older siblings also support Leonie in this difficult phase of her career. “They always had my back,” says the youngest gratefully. “They catch me when things aren’t going well. And they celebrate with me when I’m successful.”
Perhaps the Ebert “Gang” will soon have reason to celebrate again. For example at the World Cup in Milan.
