FOUR years ago, Sarah-Jane Hampson missed out in “heartbreaking” fashion when injury robbed her of a place at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships.

A torn cartilage in her right knee just before the Glasgow games put paid to her hopes of competing for Scotland on home soil. While devastating at the time, the 21-year-old from Dalgety Bay admitted it gave her the mental strength to fight her way back to the top level.

And that’s paid off as, after a fine season at home and abroad, Sarah-Jane – dubbed ‘Sabre Jane’ by proud mum Helen – will represent Scotland at the 2018 Commonwealth Senior and Veteran Fencing Championships in Canberra, Australia, later this year.

“It doesn’t feel real,” the former Inverkeithing High School pupil said. “The way the season has gone, I kind of expected it because it has been the best season I’ve had, but there’s always that doubt where you’re worrying about your place.

“When I got the email, I just screamed. I was so excited! I’ve represented Scotland before but not at senior level. I just missed out in 2014 because I was injured, and it took me about two years to get back after having an operation and stuff.

“It was really disappointing to work that hard, especially at the start of my career, and then get injured. It was heartbreaking. Since I started fencing, I had a goal of representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and, for that to happen now and to qualify outright, I’m so excited.”

After first picking up a blade while in P7, Sarah-Jane’s journey began with West Fife Fencing Club before she moved on to the Salle Ossian club in Perth. Following knee surgery and physiotherapy sessions at Queen Margaret Hospital, Sarah-Jane regained full fitness and won gold and bronze at the Commonwealth Junior Fencing Championships in South Africa.

A two-time Scottish under-20 champ, she is our number one senior fencer in the sabre category, third in Britain and, this year, won five golds and one silver medal out of six domestic competitions.

In June, she travelled to Serbia – alongside fellow Dalgety Bay fencer, Kate Daykin – to represent Great Britain at the Senior European Championships, where they fought in the team competition.

She said: “It’s probably the hardest competition on the circuit, but we won two out of four fights, the best the British team have done in years. But I’m hoping to medal (at the Commonwealths) and I’m going to give it my all. I think that would be my best achievement and it means the world to me.

“To represent Scotland is the best honour for a Scottish fencer and it’s something I’m really looking forward to.”

While delighted at being selected to go Down Under, Sarah-Jane needs to finance the trip on her own as fencers do not receive any funding to help with kit, competitions, travel or training.

After putting university on hold – she eventually wants to be a paramedic – to focus on her fencing, she has been coaching and looking for other work to raise money while training full-time.

She’s set up a gofundme page in a bid to help her on her way, and added: “We were being funded by sportscotland but now we’re not. I’ve had to choose what competitions to go to because it’s so expensive, and when we go to competitions abroad, girls from other countries have facilities and funding, but ours have been taken away.”

To help Sarah-Jane on her way to the Commonwealths, which take place between November 23-28, visit gofundme.com/59puz3k.