{{Short description|British fencer (born 1991)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox fencer | name = James-Andrew Davis | image = James-Andrew Davis 2013 Fencing WCH FMS-IN t093722.jpg | caption = At the 2013 World Fencing Championships | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1991|7|3}} | birth_place = Edgware, London | residence = Barnet, Hertfordshire | height = {{convert|1.93|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|100|kg|lb stlb|0|abbr=on}} | website = | country = {{GBR2}} | weapon = foil | hand = left-handed | club = ZFW | natlcoach = Ziemowit Wojciechowski | fieranking = [https://fie.org/athletes/17052 current ranking] | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's Foil}} {{MedalCountry | {{GBR2}} }} {{MedalCompetition|European Championships}} {{MedalGold|2014 Strasbourg|Foil}} {{MedalBronze|2013 Zagreb|Foil}} {{MedalBronze|2013 Zagreb|Team foil}} {{MedalBronze|2016 Torun|Team foil}} }}
'''James-Andrew Davis''' (born 3 July 1991) is a British fencer, European champion in 2014.<ref name="BBC04-06">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/fencing/27774178|title=James Davis wins historic European fencing gold for Britain|work=BBC Sport|author=Nick Hope|date=9 June 2014}}</ref> He competed in men's foil at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.<ref name=l2012>{{cite web|title=James-Andrew Davis|url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/davis-james-andrew-1075601/|publisher=london2012.com|accessdate=5 August 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404074655/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/davis-james-andrew-1075601/|archivedate=4 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-14|title=James Davis Bio, Stats, and Results {{!}} Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/da/james-davis-2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114091849/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/da/james-davis-2.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-01-14|access-date=2021-03-19}}</ref>
==Career==
Davis was born and brought up in Barnet, North London. He became interested in fencing at the age of four, while waiting for his mother to pick up his brother for his own sport at a Saturday club and fenced at clubs including RLS Fencing<ref>{{cite web|title=RLS Fencing Alumni James Davis |url=http://rlsfc.co.uk/news/gallery/ |website=rlsfc.co.uk/news/gallery/ |accessdate=26 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429055913/http://rlsfc.co.uk/news/gallery/ |archivedate=29 April 2015 }}</ref> and Finchley Foils. In 2008 he became the first Briton to climb a podium at European Cadet Championships with a bronze medal in Rovigo.<ref name="TGB">{{cite web|url=https://www.teamgb.com/athletes/james-davis|title=James Davis|publisher=Team GB}}</ref> He claimed another bronze medal, this time with the team, at the 2010 Junior European Championships in Lobnya.
Beginning preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics on home ground, in London, Davis was ordered by his coach to lose weight or be dropped from Team GB. Davis shed more than {{convert|5|st|kg}} in 18 months and his fencing improved accordingly: he climbed from No.346 at the end of the 2009–10 season to No.29 on the eve of the Olympics<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/fencing/9438618/London-2012-Olympics-A-trim-James-Davis-is-thinking-big-after-finding-his-cutting-edge-in-the-fencing-arena.html|title=London 2012 Olympics: A trim James Davis is thinking big after finding his cutting edge in the fencing arena|author=Lucy Kinder and Jacquelin Magnay|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=30 July 2012}}</ref> and was allocated one of Great Britain's quota places as hosts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/olympics/18408285|title=London 2012: Fencing selectors defend team as squad completed|author=Ollie Williams|work=BBC Sport|date=12 June 2012}}</ref> Davis received a bye in the round of 64, but lost 15–10 to five-time World champion Peter Joppich of Germany.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/olympics/19066366|title = Disappointment for GB fencers|work = BBC Sport}}</ref> In the team event Great Britain knocked off Egypt in the first round, but were defeated 45–40 by Italy, who eventually won the competition, and finished 6th after the placement rounds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/olympics/18907906|title=Olympics fencing: Italy beat Japan to win men's team foil|work=BBC Sport|date=5 August 2012}}</ref>
In the 2012–13 season Davis became in Saint-Petersburg the first Briton since 2009 to win a Grand Prix.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/fencing/21683245|title=James Davis wins Britain's first Grand Prix since 2009|work=BBC Sport|date=6 March 2013}}</ref> This result, and three quarter-finals in other World Cup events, pushed him into the world Top 16. At the European Championships in Zagreb he made his way to the semi-finals, where he lost 15–18 to Russia's Aleksey Cheremisinov, and came away with a bronze medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/fencing/22970288|title=Fencer Davis claims bronze at European Championships|work=BBC Sport|date=19 June 2013}}</ref> In the team event, Britain overcame France in the quarter-finals, but fell 45–42 against Poland. They defeated Russia 45–33 to earn Davis a second bronze medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/fencing-great-britain-pick-mens-foil-team-bronze-113625652.html|title=Fencing - Great Britain pick up men's foil team bronze at European Championships|publisher=Yahoo UK|date=21 June 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102021128/https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/fencing-great-britain-pick-mens-foil-team-bronze-113625652.html|archivedate=2 November 2014}}</ref> He finished the season No.7 in world rankings.
At the beginning of the 2013–14 season Davis went to San Francisco to train at the Massialas Foundation with USA national coach Greg Massialas. He achieved two quarter-finals in World Cup events. At the European Championships in Strasbourg he had a close win against young Alexander Choupenitch of the Czech Republic, then overpowered 15–8 Peter Joppich and met Aleksey Cheremisinov in the final. Davis was led 10–6 when the referee interrupted the bout: with temperatures above {{convert|35|°C}}, his sweat-drenched jacket was registering false positives. Davis was able to refocus after changing his kit and won Britain's first European foil gold.<ref name="BBC04-06" /> Cheremisinov took his revenge in the team event, where Russia disposed of Britain in the quarter-finals. At the World Championships in Kazan reached the quarter-finals, where he was defeated 15–6 by France's Enzo Lefort. In the team event, Britain were largely overpowered by Italy in the quarter-finals and finished 8th. Davis ended up world No.6, his best ranking so far.
In 2019, he won the foil title at the British Fencing Championships.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishfencing.com/uploads/files/british_champions.pdf |title=British Champions |website=British Fencing |access-date=28 October 2022}}</ref>
Davis studies psychology at Middlesex University.<ref name="TGB" /> He is also a fencing coach for Ziemowit Wojciechowski's fencing club<ref name="ZFW">{{cite web|url=http://zfw-fencing.co.uk/coaches/james-davis|title=James Davis|date=15 January 2015}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20141110111228/http://www.eurofencing.info/athletes/biography/james-andrew-davis Profile] at the European Fencing Confederation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, James}} Category:British male fencers Category:Living people Category:Olympic fencers for Great Britain Category:Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Category:1991 births Category:Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:European Games competitors for Great Britain Category:Fencers at the 2023 European Games Category:21st-century British sportsmen