Callum Carmichael wins 50-fighter smallsword field at Gathering of the Blades

Callum Carmichael won the Adult Open Steel Smallsword division at Gathering of the Blades x Spring Steel 2026 in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, where 50 fighters turned the bracket into one of the deepest technical tests on the HEMA calendar. The March 29 event ran through HEMA Scorecard software, and Carmichael finished ahead of a field that forced precision, patience and clean line control from the first pools through the final placements.

David Ito of Toronto Historical Combatants took second, Aidan Saleh of West End Swords placed third, and Nicolas Gatien of Glengarry Broadsword Academy / Clann a' Claidheimh finished fourth. Victoria Allard of Guilde d’Escrime Historique was fifth, giving the top half of the standings a spread of clubs that reached well beyond one local training group. In a weapon like smallsword, that matters: the division does not usually reward raw force or long-ranged exchanges, but the ability to keep tempo, manage distance and convert tiny openings into touches over a long elimination ladder.

Carmichael’s result carries extra weight because HEMA Ratings lists him as a Canadian fighter with Bataireacht and Historical Fencing Faction. Winning a smallsword field this large puts him at the front of the current pecking order in one of HEMA’s most exacting steel divisions, and it did so against a final five that mixed Toronto, the west end of the Greater Toronto Area, and Quebec-linked club representation. The depth at the top also suggests this was not a bracket with a single dominant school running unchallenged to the medal round.

The size of the field stands out even more in context. HEMA Scorecard records show Spring Steel 2025 in Barrie featured a Sword and Buckler - Advanced Open Steel division with 30 fighters, while Fright Fight 2025 listed smallsword tiers with just four fighters apiece. A 50-fencer smallsword bracket is a different animal entirely, and it gave Carmichael a far stiffer proof of form than a routine podium result would have.

The same HEMA Scorecard listing noted that Mixed Weapon - Adult Open Mixed placings had not yet been finalized, a reminder that Gathering of the Blades x Spring Steel 2026 was large enough to carry multiple divisions at once. Even so, the smallsword results were already complete, and they left Carmichael on top of a field deep enough to separate a strong medal run from a real statement win.