headline: Tokyo 2020: Marcus Mepstead is sole member of Team GB's fencing squad
text: Marcus Mepstead will take part in his second Olympics in Tokyo after being named as the sole member of the Great Britain fencing team.
  31-year-old, who competes in the men's foil event, won silver at the 2019 World Championships.
  He also helped GB win the team gold at the inaugural European Games in 2015.
  "Marcus' determination and consistency has been incredible to watch over recent years," said Team GB's chef de mission Mark England.
  "This has ensured that Team GB can be represented in fencing at another Olympic Games - something Marcus should be very proud of."
  Mepstead, whose current world ranking is 14, was part of a four-man British squad at the 2016 Rio Olympics that finished sixth in the team event.
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  After fencing lost its funding from UK Sport in 2017, he has battled to keep his career alive, establishing a personal training business and moving to New York to work with a world-class coach.
  "Marcus has been on an incredible journey on the way to securing his qualification for Tokyo," said British Fencing Olympic team manager Johnny Davis.
  "Faced with challenging financial and logistical circumstances, Marcus met the challenge head on and created a world-class environment and culture which has underpinned his qualification for Tokyo.
  "Securing one of the two available individual automatic European qualification slots for the Olympics is arguably the most difficult route to Olympic qualification.
  "For Marcus to have secured the number one European slot is an extraordinary achievement, given the quality of the opposition he has faced in this Olympic cycle."