Piers Gilliver

Piers Alexander Gilliver MBE (born 17 September 1994) is a British wheelchair fencer, who competes in both épée and sabre. He is the 2020 Paralympic champion in the Individual Épée, A classification. He is the first British Paralympic champion in the sport since Carol Walton in 1988.

Piers Gilliver
MBE
Born (1994-09-17) 17 September 1994
Sport
SportFencing
WeaponÉpée A / Sabre A
National coachPeter Rome
ClubUniversity of Bath
Medal record
Wheelchair fencing
Representing  Great Britain
Summer Paralympics
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoÉpée A
Silver medal – second place2016 Rio de JaneiroÉpée A
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoTeam foil
Bronze medal – third place2020 TokyoTeam épée
IWAS World Championships
Silver medal – second place2015 EgerÉpée A
Silver medal – second place2017 RomeÉpée A
Bronze medal – third place2017 RomeSabre A
Gold medal – first place2019 CheongjuÉpée A
Bronze medal – third place2019 CheongjuSabre A
Bronze medal – third place2019 CheongjuÉpée Team
IWAS European Championships
Silver medal – second place2016 TorinoÉpée A
Silver medal – second place2018 TerniÉpée A

Gilliver has previously won medals at both World and European Championship level. In 2016 he represented Great Britain at the Rio Paralympics and won a silver medal [1]

Personal history

Gilliver was born in Gloucester England in 1994. He attended Hopebrook C of E School in Longhope. He has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome a congenital illness which in 2007 left him as a full-time wheelchair user.[2]

Wheelchair fencing career

Gilliver first got into wheelchair fencing in 2010 at his local fencing club in Cheltenham after looking for a new sport as his mobility decreased.[1][3] He joined the British Disabled Fencing Association in 2011.[3] In 2012 Gilliver made his international debut for the British team at a World Cup event in Warsaw, coming 11th in the Category A épée.[3]

In 2013 Gilliver took part in his first IWAS World Championships. The same year he was named Junior World Champion in the U23's Category A épée.[3] In the buildup to the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, Gilliver took nine podium finishes at international matches including the silver medal at the IWAS wheelchair fencing World Championships in Eger.[1][3] In 2016 he was selected for TeamGB at the 2016 Summer Paralympics where he gained a silver medal in the Épée A.[4]

In July 2021 Gilliver, Dimitri Coutya, Gemma Collis-McCann and Oliver Lam-Watson were identified as the British wheelchair fencing team who would compete at the delayed 2020 Summer Paralymics in Tokyo,[4] where he won gold in the Épée A, silver in the Team Foil and bronze in the Team Épée.[5]

Gilliver was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to fencing.[6][7]

References
  1. "Gilliver, Piers". paralympic.org. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  2. Hudson, Elizabeth. "Piers Gilliver: Wheelchair fencer faces uncertain future". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  3. "Piers Gilliver". rio.paralympics.org.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  4. "Gilliver & Coutya named in GB team". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. "Wheelchair Fencing - Results Book" (PDF). Olympics.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  6. "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N19.
  7. "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
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