Nicholas Dinu Katie Chan interview on Olympic training and travel

The Nicholas Dinu Katie Chan interview covers how the Canadian National Team fencer trains toward the Olympic Games, prepares for opponents and handles tournament-day nerves. Dinu also told Chan why Dubai remains his favorite fencing trip, how he became a Cleveland Browns fan and why young fencers should train outside the club.

How did Nicholas Dinu start fencing and become a Cleveland Browns fan?

Nicholas Dinu began fencing in 2008 after growing up with a father who had fenced for the Romanian National Team. He has been on the Canadian National Team since he was about 13. Away from fencing, he supports the Cleveland Browns because a friend from his fencing club helped him get into American Football.

Fencing in the family

Dinu said he had been fencing for about 16 years and had spent about 11 years on the Canadian National Team. His father fenced in Romania and later coached, which meant Dinu spent considerable time at the club as a child. He took many lessons and classes there, an opportunity he later said shaped both his early progress and his approach to training.

Following a friend’s team from Cleveland

He also watches hockey and American Football and plays flag football with friends for fun. He mentioned Chan, who plays hockey for the Golden Eyes, while explaining his growing interest in the sport. Fencing, though, is the only sport he pursues seriously.

Dinu tries to support Toronto teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, but wanted someone to watch American Football with when he started learning the game. A fellow fencer loved it, and that friend’s father was from Cleveland. Dinu adopted the Browns, watched them win one game over two years and stayed loyal. As he put it, "Every win feels like the Super Bowl, you know."

Why is Nicholas Dinu aiming for the Olympic Games, and which fencing trips are his favorites?

Nicholas Dinu has aimed for the Olympic Games for as long as he can remember because he sees them as fencing’s highest level. Among the places competition has taken him, he named Dubai, South Korea and Italy as his top three, with Dubai standing out for the time he spent there with teammates and friends.

The Olympic goal

Dinu said fencing does not currently offer him a professional league where competitors are paid. He mentioned the possibility of a league starting, but for now the Olympic Games remain the clearest pinnacle in his sport. That ambition has accompanied his fencing since he began.

Dubai and Verona

His strongest travel memory is a World Championship in Dubai during what he recalled as his last junior year, when he was about 16 or 17. The team spent roughly a week there. He was with teammates and close friends he usually sees only when traveling for fencing, and they explored the city together. He singled out the food, the Burj Khalifa and the large mall.

Another favorite was his first World Championship, in Verona, Italy, when he was about 14 or 15. It was his first long trip for an event of that scale. Dinu still remembers the venue’s size and presentation; for him, later tournament setups have not matched it.

South Korea after a camp in Japan

South Korea makes his list partly because he gets to return each year. He enjoys the food, architecture and people. His first trip there followed a training camp in Japan, also his first visit to that country, and making the two trips back-to-back with teammates made the experience especially memorable.

What is Nicholas Dinu’s Olympic fencing training routine?

Nicholas Dinu’s usual training day combines sessions with a personal trainer, extra cardio, fencing footwork and his work as a coach. He said coaching reinforces what he practices himself. Before an upcoming competition in Cairo, he also planned to spend time training in New York City with teammates and fencers he regularly works with there.

A day of training and coaching

Dinu usually wakes around 8 a.m. and sees his personal trainer three times a week, from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. He then does extra cardio with a friend, using equipment such as an assault bike or treadmill. After lunch and some rest, he returns to fencing for about 30 minutes to an hour of footwork.

Coaching follows later in the day. Dinu said telling younger fencers what to practice can remind him of the same lessons in his own training. When preparing away from home, he may also join training camps arranged by the Canadian National Team or work alongside Olympians and friends.

New York City before Cairo

At the time of the interview, Dinu expected to leave for New York City on Sunday ahead of a Cairo competition two weekends away. He planned to train there with some teammates and people he usually fences with in the city, spending about two weeks away in all. New York City is one of his favorite cities, he said, and he also enjoys visiting Cairo.

How does Nicholas Dinu prepare for a fencing competition?

Nicholas Dinu studies previous bouts, arrives early enough to adjust to the time zone and keeps his tournament morning familiar. He aims for eight to nine hours of sleep, a light breakfast and arrival at the venue about two hours before fencing. Music and a quiet moment at the strip help him manage stress.

Before traveling, Dinu watches bouts from earlier tournaments, especially within the current competition cycle, because he may face some of those fencers again. On flights, he tries to relax; at his height, he finds long flights uncomfortable. For major time changes, he prefers to arrive at least two days before he fences rather than compete immediately after traveling.

More sleep is not always better for him. Dinu said 10 or 11 hours can leave him groggy, while a heavy pre-tournament meal makes him feel less mobile. His preferred breakfast is light. Getting to the venue early also gives him time for equipment checks and a warm-up with one of his playlists.

Just before a bout, he sits near the strips, closes his eyes and thinks through actions he might use. Dinu said he stresses easily on tournament days, so those final minutes are less about adding activity than letting himself settle.

What does Nicholas Dinu find hardest about fencing, and what is his advice to young athletes?

Nicholas Dinu considers fencing’s mental demands harder than its physical ones: he must recognize an opponent’s habits and adapt while facing different styles throughout a day. His advice to young athletes comes from his own childhood. He practiced extensively at the club but wishes he had taken running and other training outside fencing more seriously.

Reading different opponents

Because the fencing community is small, Dinu may face the same opponents repeatedly. Familiarity helps, but it works both ways: they also learn how he fences. On a tournament day he can encounter an aggressive fencer, then someone more patient who attacks suddenly. He has to identify what each person likes to do and find a counter.

Dinu described that process as moves and countermoves, often compared with physical chess. Finding a rhythm while constantly adjusting is the part he finds most difficult.

Training beyond the club

As a child, Dinu had frequent lessons and classes and was often at the club because his father coached. That access did not make him eager to run or work out elsewhere. Looking back, he thinks broader training would have made later demands easier. Dinu put his advice to young fencers this way:

So if you really do love fencing, train outside of fencing too, as much as you can, because it's going to make your life a lot easier in the future.

What music and travel essentials does Nicholas Dinu keep close?

Nicholas Dinu uses music to get ready to fence and carries Nerds gummy clusters when he travels. His playlists include Lil Wayne and Drake, while his choice of sweets takes some planning: he said he stocks up before leaving because many countries he visits do not sell the candy.

One song he named from his pre-bout playlist was "Love Me" by Lil Wayne. He also listens to a lot of Drake. When asked about the last song he had played, Dinu named "Oops, I Did It Again" by Britney Spears. A close friend once gave him a Britney Spears shirt, so hearing the song reminds him of her.

He keeps Nerds gummy clusters in his car and packs them in his backpack for trips. Dinu called himself a night owl, although he likes being up early once he gets out of bed. He generally chooses tea, but likes hot coffee when it is cold and iced tea when it is warm.

Who is Nicholas Dinu?

Nicholas Dinu is a Canadian National Team fencer. His profile also identifies him with OC.