Created in 2006, the Grenoble U17 World Challenge has seen many young European and world fencing talents pass through. Initially an exclusively female event, it has been open to boys since 2016.
In 2015, Aliya Luty won the Grenoble World Challenge. She is to date the only Grenoble native to have won in the Halle Clémenceau.
With a history of more than 10 years, the Grenoble U17 World Challenge has seen many European and world epee hopefuls shine on the tracks of the Halle Clémenceau, such as Lauren Rembi, winner in 2007 and 2008, 4th of the Olympic Games in 2016.
Aliya Luty sole winner, Nolan Wingerter third
Although more recent, the history of the boys at the Grenoble World Challenge, which began in 2016, has already seen some of the future big names in fencing win. In 2021, Nolan Wingerter came very close to adding his name to the list of winners of the event. The Grenoble native fell in the semi-final and had to be satisfied with 3rd place, leaving Aliya Luty as the only local winner of the Challenge.
4 events including the Challenge Bertrand-Dedieu
Today, the U17 World Challenge has 4 events: girls and boys, individual and team, and welcomes 400 to 600 participants each year from a dozen different countries. Since the 2021 edition, the men’s individual competition has been named “Challenge Bertrand-Dedieu”, in tribute to the club’s former swordsman, who tragically passed away in May 2020. “Bertrand was an example for the club and the members through his commitment and dedication to fencing. In order to keep his memory alive, we wanted to name the men’s challenge after him. We do not forget him and he will be associated with the club for a long time to come“, confided the president of the club, Alim Latrèche in 2021. The women’s individual competition is called the Challenge Vaujany, in honour of the club’s main partner.