CHRYSTALL Nicoll could be the first British woman to win an Olympic medal in fencing since 1964, and it’s not something she takes lightly.

“To achieve a gold medal at the Olympics is the highest goal for any athlete and that is what I’m focusing on at the moment,” she says.

“I’ve sacrificed a lot for the sport, but I enjoy it and always knew I wanted to compete.

“Fencing changed where I went to school, where I chose to go to university. It was the reason I did not get to finish university.

“It means I don’t get to see my husband very much, as he works nights as an engineer for the London Underground, but we’ll be married for many years hopefully, so it will be OK in the long run.”

Chrystall, 24, from Wickford, has been training for 14 years to get to the top of her game.

She adds: “I started fencing when I was ten, where I grew up in Dorset. I think I was quite a sporty girl anyway. I picked up fencing quite quickly.”

It was a scholarship to the Brentwood School that brought Chrystall to Essex. She then studied economics and management at Royal Holloway. However, she didn’t finish the degree because she won funding with UK Sport and needed more time to train.

Chrystall is a sabreur, which refers to the weapon she fights with in fencing, called a sabre. There are two other types of weapons in fencing – foil and epee – but the sabre is faster paced.

She says: “Some people call it physical chess, because the sport is tactical. With the sabre it goes so quickly, you have to keep completely focused. You can lose three points without even knowing it. Feeling angry or losing it for a second can make a big difference.

“The matches are supposed to be three minutes, but they rarely get to that. To keep focused, we try to replicate the nerves and adrenalin of a competition during training. That way, your body gets used to it and you learn how to deal with it.”

So has she had any injuries while competing?

“Despite what it looks like, it is not dangerous in terms of the sword. The only danger is injuries you would get in any sport,” says Chrystall.

She is ranked 25th in the UK and her target is the top 12, in order to earn an automatic place in the Games.

It means that despite the 2012 Olympics Games being 18 months away, Chrystall is in the middle of an intensive training regime.

Because of funding changes, Chrystall also has to pay for a lot of her training, so she works in London for Coca-Cola.

“I get up around 5.30am to train and later on I go to the gym and then I have training sessions at Brentwood School on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings,” she adds.

“Usually at this point in the season I would know exactly where I was with funding, but because of changes it has been different this year.”

Chrystall did get a £6,500 bursary, after being chosen as one of 13 Essex athletes to act as a sporting ambassador for the county.

She says: “The money will really help, but I’m not going to cash it until I know what is happening with funding and I can budget for the future.”