Epee fencer Angeline Favre describes her sport as creative, playful, and strategic. She says every opponent is different and every bout takes its own twists and turns. “Everything happens so fast in fencing that you’re under pressure very quickly. And those moments give me an adrenaline rush,” she says. She has to make split-second decisions, while thirty seconds sometimes feel like an eternity, the 25-year-old explains. That’s when patience and concentration are key, because mistakes are quickly punished.

Finding her focus

During breaks in the competition, she regularly retreats for twenty minutes to find a quiet spot. There, she closes her eyes and blocks out her surroundings. The people around her have come to know that she disappears briefly each time. “People think I’m sleeping,” she says with a laugh, but it’s actually more like a form of meditation. It’s her way of recharging, sorting through her emotions, and regaining her focus. Perhaps it was precisely this ability—combined with a strong drive to succeed, years of training, and the support of her family of ten—that was the key to her greatest success to date: the bronze medal at the 2025 European Championships.

«You have to concentrate a lot in your studies to perform well, and that makes you stronger in sports, too.»

Angeline Favre

Although elite sports take up a large part of her life, she never considered putting all her eggs in one basket. Having been interested in the natural sciences from an early age, she is now nearing the completion of her master’s degree in ecology at the University of Bern. She sees having a second career path alongside fencing as a great opportunity and a privilege, even if it can be challenging at times.

Description of Her Recipe for Success

She is able to switch between the two worlds because she consistently focuses her attention on whatever is right in front of her. “When I’m training, I give 100 percent, and when I’m in class, I’m focused,” says Favre. She also benefits in sports from skills she acquires through her studies. “You have to concentrate a lot in your studies to perform well, and that makes you stronger in sports, too,” she says. The consistency required for academic success also helps her on the fencing strip. After all, you won’t make progress in either your studies or training if you only put in the effort occasionally. During lectures, she’s often the only one actively taking notes. This way, she ensures that as little material as possible falls by the wayside—even during intense competition periods—because what isn’t caught up on promptly is difficult to make up for later.

However, things didn’t always go smoothly. Her first year of college was challenging: moving to Bern, the pressure of her sport, and the demands of her studies all came at once. Nevertheless, she worked with her academic advisors to find ways to make her studies more flexible. In particular, the understanding shown by many of her professors helped her balance her studies with fencing. In conversation, it becomes clear that she values both equally: “If things aren’t going so well in one area, I still have the other.”

Family as a Source of Motivation and Support

The Valais native grew up with seven siblings. “It was nice having so many people at home,” she says. She also discovered fencing through her family. Her mother had fenced as a teenager, and she herself began fencing at almost the same time as her sister, who is a year older—Favre was just six years old at the time. At first, the joy of the sport was the main focus. But as the years went by, her ambitions grew as well. When her sister made the leap to the national team, she became an inspiration: “I thought, I want that too,” she says.

Currently, Angeline is focusing heavily on her upcoming master’s degree. After eight years in elite sports, she then wants to take some time off to relax and spend more time with friends and family. Her athletic ambitions, however, remain high: Her next goal is to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games.