Standing on the podium and hearing your national anthem play is something we all dream about know is never likely to happen.

Yet for first year Kingston motor engineering student Luke Kuhlmey that dream became reality when he picked up a bronze medal at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

It’s almost four months on since Kuhlmey’s success in Sydney yet the mere mention of it still brings a smile to his face.

“Australia was an amazing experience from start to finish,” he asserts.

“It was really great to hear your own national anthem playing- it’s a memory that is not easily forgotten.”

The Youth Olympic Festival is the equivalent of the Olympics for the next generation of Olympic athletes.  Kuhlmey beat a number of higher ranked opponents to claim the bronze, including the Malaysian number one seed Kho, who won the Junior Commonwealth Games just two weeks later.  Quite an achievement in anybody’s books.

Kuhlmey agrees.  “It was an amazing experience and I was very pleased with my performance,” he said.

“All the fights were done in one day in the individuals. First there are pool fights where you fence all you opponents to the best of five hits in three minutes.  Then you are seeded and you play a knockout to the best of fifteen hits in three rounds of three minutes.  It’s exhausting stuff,” he added.

Kuhlmey trains three times a week in preparation for the competitions at the London Thames Fencing Club in Hammersmith, home to many of the Great Britain senior fencing squad.

“I often train with members of the senior Britain squad.  Last summer I attended a fencing competition organised by 126 fencing clubs where I trained with one of the Great Britain epee squad and was also coached by an ex-member of that squad” he explains.

In addition to the coaching sessions, Kuhlmey has to do some kind of other training every day which can take its toll on university work.

“It is time consuming, especially recently as I’ve had several deadlines.  The engineering department have been amazing, very understanding and I would like to thank them for the support” he said.

Fencing commitments have also put strain on his social life.  While many of his friends go out on Friday and Saturday nights, he is getting an early night ahead of competitions on Sundays.

However, he insists that all the sacrifices are worth it.

He has been in fencing since he was 13, inspired by watching his elder sister, Esther, in fencing competitions as a young boy.

Kuhlmey explained: “I used to accompany her to competitions.  It seemed a bit of a waste of time just sitting and watching, so I thought, well, if she can do it so can I but I want to do it better!”

All his hard work appears to be paying off.  He is now the number one epee fencer at under 20 level in the country and has a world ranking of 120.  He has also represented Great Britain at all junior levels, how much does he want to represent GB at 2012?

“So much!” he asserts.  “It would be amazing to compete in the London Olympics.  It has always been my dream to compete at the Olympics.”