A KENT man who did not take up fencing until he was nearly 50 has become a world champion in the sport.

Simon Hartley, 61, from Wingham, near Canterbury, won the world foil title in the 60-plus age group in the championships in Limoges, France, beating a former Olympic champion during the tournament.

Hartley, a member of the Mallard Fencing Club at Herne Bay and Deal Fencing Club, had fought in three previous world championships, winning a bronze medal in foil last year in Tampa, Florida.

He said: “I had gone to the tournament hoping for, rather than expecting, a medal." His triumph was the climax of a fencing career which had only started at the age of 49.

Hartley, an antiques dealer who was born in Westgate, had played rugby, cricket and golf as a youngster, and is also a keen skier.

He recalled: "In November, 1990, I had the idea, totally out of the blue, to try my hand at fencing. As a small boy I had loved the old Three Musketeers films and had dangerously thrashed about with sticks.”

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK'S KENTISH GAZETTE