As Ballarat couple Molly Fry and Daniel Cooper's relationship blossomed last year, so did their ambitions in the Medieval Combat arena.
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Their extensive training has paid off with the pair selected this month to represent Australia in World Medieval Combat tournament in Romania mid-2022.
Mr Cooper, who represented Australia in the 2019 tournament, said it was "a dream come true" to see Ms Fry join the Australian team.
"It's going to be the moment of a lifetime," he said.
"It's one thing to be going over and representing by yourself, but to be going over there and then being on the sidelines cheering on your partner and celebrating afterwards will just be incredible."
Ms Fry and Mr Cooper met at Kryal Castle through live-action role-playing (LARPing) and bonded over their shared love of history.
Medieval combat is a step-up from the fantasy fighting of LARPing, with athletes kitted out in heavy armour, and steel swords.
"It replicates the fights that knights used to practice outside of wartime," Ms Fry said.
"With blunted steel weapons, you basically have to try and get your opponent on the ground, either through wrestling them to the ground or by hitting them so hard that they sit down because of how much pain they're in."
Armour weighs about 20 to 30 kilograms and must follow regulations for historical authenticity.
The "Olympics of sword fighting" will be the largest gathering of knights in the world, and for the first time Australian women's interest in the sport has allowed a selection process for the women's squad.
After catching the fighting bug just six months ago, Ms Fry will don the green and gold in the women's team event, which sees teams of five fighters go head-to-head.
She said it was wonderful to see women's involvement in the sport grow.
"It's always been driven home 'this is for everyone', and when you're kitted up you can't tell if it's a man or a woman under the armour," Ms Fry said.
"Anyone can do it."
Mr Cooper has been competing in medieval combat for several years and is the captain of Ballarat team Western Wolves.
He will compete in the men's team and singles longsword competitions.
With Mr Cooper as Ms Fry's trainer, the couple's shared goal is to finesse Ms Fry's skill-set further so together they might hold the titles of male and female Australian longsword champions.
"We're on a very similar wavelength in the sense that we're both really driven and really passionate about the things that we love," Ms Fry said.
Training involves wrestling practice, soft kit training with a foam version of armour, and intensive endurance training.
For the couple, training will intensify in the lead-up to the tournament.
"It really strengthens that connection, to actually be able to share it - I just feel very lucky to be able to do that," Mr Cooper said.
"It's a bit of a dream, you get to do your favourite sport, your favourite hobby, with someone you love."
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