Wonder Woman of the Week: Ysaora Thibus

This week's Wonder Woman might just be the closest thing we have to a modern-day Caribbean pirate. Ysaora Thibus started taking fencing lessons at just seven years old in the Caribbean island French territory of Guadeloupe. Ten years later, Thibus moved to mainland France to continue her quest to break into the international scene for the sport in a nation where fencing can be as cut-throat at Caribbean piracy. The kid was up to the challenge however, and quickly earned a spot on her national team

In 2018, Ysaora Thibus earned her first international championship medal by earning a bronze medal at the 2017 Fencing World Championships, then earned the silver the following year. Thibus often cites fellow French fencer Laura Flessel-Colovic as her idol- a fencer so successful that she is now the minister of sport for France. Thibus is not only a successful athlete though. The economics student has earned awards for her studies including a 2013 Bernard Destremau Award for balancing sport and studies. In 2016, Thibus completed her Master's Degree in management before heading to the United States to continue training for fencing in preparation for earning a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.