TES Connect 2025 Winter

Creative Learning

Meeting a Champion: When Our CM1 Students Discovered the Inspiring Journey of Fencer - Yilu Guillemot By Juliette Kudlikowski, French Primary Section, Deputy Head

Discovering an Unexpected Path to Excellence

A Life-Changing Encounter in Taiwan

Everything changed when Yilu was around 12 years old. While visiting his grandmother who was sick in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, his father noticed a high school fencing team training just across from the hospital. He asked if Yilu could join a practice session and that simple request became the turning point of a lifetime. In Taiwan, Yilu discovered a completely different ap proach to the sport.

Our CM1 students recently had the remarkable oppor tunity to meet Yilu Guillemot, the French-Taiwanese épée fencer, whose story is as compelling as his talent. For the children, and the adults, fortunate enough to witness the encounter, it was a moment of discovery, inspiration, and cultural connection. Yilu Guillemot’s rise in the world of fencing is all the more impressive because it began with difficulty. As he shared with our students, he wasn’t a naturally gifted athlete. This confession delighted the children and re assured many adults, greatness doesn’t always begin with obvious talent.

WINTER 2025 | 6