Japanese fencing phenom Yuki Ota, who won the silver medal in the men's foil in last summer's Beijing Olympics, has entered a new challenging chapter in his fencing career.
The 23-year-old flew to France on Wednesday to participate in Saturday's Fleuret Masters, in which the world's best eight fencers are invited. He was also asked to help Aix-en-Provence, a powerhouse French club, compete in the quarterfinals of the French national championships on April 18.
Ota is the first Japanese to earn a fencing medal at the Olympics.