Wonder Woman of the Week: Sara Balzer

This week's Wonder Woman is by far from indestructible. But heroism isn't about persistence in the face of easy road ahead. Instead, this week's Wonder Woman is an athlete to persevered through mental and physical hardship to rise to the challenge and become a beacon of hope for future female fencers far beyond her home country of France. Sara Balzer was born in France in 1995 and began fencing at eight years old. While most fencers around the world begin competing within a couple years after taking their first class, Balzer instead began competing in 2010, roughly seven years later.

It's hard to know whether the last competitive start was harmful or beneficial, but what is known is that Balzer earned a spot on the national team roster ahead of the 2017 Fencing World Championships. While she managed to earn a bronze in the team competition, Balzer also faced a crippling injury (something I unfortunately was actually on site to see).

Sara Balzer spent nearly a year physically recovering from her torn ACL, but needed twice as long to recover mentally from the injury. The French fencer turned her recovery as an opportunity for self-reflection and learned to be more aware of her body's needs and to learn to better monitor her health in competition.

In the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Balzer appeared on the French team roster as the alternate (sometimes known as the "anchor" as the 4th person on a 3-person team) who only plays if they are substituted in. That also meant if she would not get the sub, she would not get a medal if the team reached the podium.

Balzer earned a substitution, and the team earned the silver medal. In the following year, Balzer earned another silver medal in the team competition at the 2022 Fencing World Championships. Balzer continues to compete, balancing her athleticism with academia as a psychology student focusing on digital communication. Balzer's story helps highlight the importance of perseverance, self-reflection, and humility. Sara Balzer once said "the harder the road, the greater the victory." Through both words and action, Balzer is blazing trails on the hard road towards heroism; inspiring young women and girls in the sport across the globe for her tenacity and strength.