Jiří Beran: Technology in fencing, the road to Olympic bronze and fencing as a sport for all.

Jiří Beran is one of the greatest personalities of Czech fencing, whose career culminated in winning a bronze medal in the team competition in the corduroy at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Jiří can be proud not only of his sporting achievements, but also of his inspiring approach to training and cooperation with younger fencers. His dedication and passion for fencing has become a role model for many who want to pursue this discipline.

How would you introduce fencing to people who don't know much about it and don't know the categories?

In short, the sword and the flechette are stabbing weapons. So the purpose is to stab the opponent.

If you see a fencer who's all in white, he's a swordsman. There you can hit your opponent everywhere - from the top of the foot to the head. At the end of each weapon is a device called an arete that completes an electrical circuit. When a swordsman successfully hits an opponent, the arete is activated, confirming the point and recording it on an electronic device.

Then there's the fleretist. He's wearing a vest, and in this case, it's the vest that's the target area. A stab to everything else is considered a stab to an invalid surface. The flare has nothing on the end. The circuit is closed by clamping the blade against the electric vest the fencers are wearing.

How can a hobbyist start fencing?

In the sport clubs. In training, the pros mingle with the hobbyists. They don't have to worry about that. Fencing is a very fast paced sport and physically demanding, but it can be done professionally even at an old age.

What role does technology play in fencing?

Technology plays a big role in fencing and even the rules are changing because of technology.

Photo: JANDASPORT^®

Jiří Beran.

Czech fencer who achieved the following successes:

Champion of the Czech Republic in fencing with sword
2x bronze from European Championships
Multiple winner of international tournaments
World Cup Winner 2007
Bronze at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024

Could you share with us some behind-the-scenes information from the Olympics?

More or less the whole Olympics is behind the scenes. The media are not allowed to go to the village or only have a day/two where they are arranged to go there for a few hours to do interviews right in the village. The village is seen as a safe haven for the athletes where they can focus and relax.

There are enough experiences, but there could definitely be more. The rule at the Olympics is that athletes return home within 48 hours of winning. For example, we were supposed to leave at 6am the next morning, so we went to the tournament with all our stuff packed. In the end, our flight was delayed one more day to catch up with media obligations.

I had a chance to go BMX and skateboarding for a while. But unfortunately there's not much time. The thing I enjoyed most about the Olympics is that you can be together with other athletes, the energy is great.

A photo of an Italian swimmer sleeping outside on a bench has made the internet rounds. Was sleeping in the Olympic Village really that bad?

I didn't get it. Czechs are used to and can adapt to any conditions. There are countries and athletes who are used to more luxury.

It is true that the village was sewn together with a hot needle. We arrived and the next day at 6 a.m. a guy was ringing us with a paintbrush in his hand, saying he had to finish painting something in our room.

Did you meet any sports stars at the Olympics??

Yeah, when it was opening night. It was interesting watching them. I'm not the type to go take pictures with them, I respect their privacy.

I remember when Michael Phelps was at the Olympics, he was always wearing a hood on his head. Unfortunately, he was still unnoticeable and other athletes wanted to take pictures with him. You could tell he was uncomfortable and bothered by it. He couldn't fully concentrate on his performance. Often sports stars don't even live in the village.

What do you think of Jan Černý's Olympic clothing collection??

I recently had a session with students from a high school and we spent about 45 minutes discussing this. It was interesting.

We had our first secret preview of the collection in October 2023, so we saw it, but in black. When I saw it, I was like, "Wow, what is that? That's kinda cool." But there were 20-year-old girls and guys sitting next to me who are 20 years younger than me, and they thought the collection was awesome. They immediately wanted to take a picture of the collection and put it above their bed as motivation to get to the Olympics.

I loved that when the collection came out, it really sparked a company-wide discussion. I'm glad it sparked discussions and emotions in people.

Has your life changed after the Olympics??

Of course it's a change. It makes you very aware of the difference between 4th and 3rd place. If you're 4th, 5th, 10th, you don't get much media attention. But if you're in the top 3, you get media attention. Consider that 39 athletes out of 110 are in the top 10. Can you name me five?

Photo: JANDASPORT®

How fencing stands in the world?

Europe is the mecca of fencing. The biggest powers are France, Italy and Hungary. In these countries, coaches are treated as mentors and part of the family.

Then Japan and Korea are close to the sport. Fighting and weaponry is seen as a cultural and historical issue in these countries.

So it is two dimensions that are intertwined. Historical fencing is about simulating it well and sport is about really hitting the opponent. That's what makes the world schools intertwine, which are.

How Czech fencing is perceived in the world?

Very good. It took years to build awareness of Czech fencing. We are happy that we could now follow up on Alex Choupenitch's bronze medal from Tokyo 2021. Our success was preceded by a win at the 2019 World Cup and success at the European Championships. Gradually, the successes built up to the Olympics. And there we surprised by going from 7th place and beating Italy, France. Which are world powers.

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Příspěvek sdílený Jiří Berań (@jiriberan82)

How do you handle your online presence on social media??

I'm from the generation when cell phones started. Somehow I wasn't affected by the Facebook or Instagram era. But I see it as a necessity. I've struggled a lot internally with the fact that today social networks are a thing that is inherent to sports. Today, it's not that a famous athlete doesn't have social networks.

At that time at the Rio Olympics, there was pressure on me to make a Facebook. So I set it up for my dad before me. It's not a joy for me and I'm not that into it, but I take it as a duty. I prefer to meet people in person at talks, meetings. But I've learned that sometimes I have to post something on social media. So it always makes me happy when someone shares content with me and I can just reshare it and it fills my network with content.

Don't you feel the possibility of more influence now that you have the bronze??

Yeah, but I'm taking it as an endorsement of the sport. I can remove prejudice, I can educate, etc. It's very important that I can set an example for young people and I hope I can do that.

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Příspěvek sdílený Marek Veselý (@vesely.maara)

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