http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/sport/87 ... _1_4290332
Connie Adam, 87-year-old fencer, has returned to her home in the Avenues, Earlham, after a gruelling week competing for Great Britain in the Veteran World Fencing Championship in Limoges, France.
Despite being the tournament’s oldest competitor, Mrs Adam reached the final eight of the individual sabre event.
Mrs Adam said: “It was a brilliant experience. There were more than 900 other competitors from across the world there; I knocked out two Japanese people and got to compete against the French champion.
“It was very tiring but I’ve had a tremendous amount of support.”
Mrs Adam competed in the over-70s category, with the nearest competitor to her age being nearly a decade younger than her.
She said: “I have to compete with people who are only nearly 18 years younger than me. However I have been informed that there may be an over 80s category next year, so if this happens, I hope to be back next year.”
Her involvement in the tournament had been in jeopardy, however, following Derek James’ article and a feature by Mark Summers on Mustard TV, British Fencing stepped forward with a £400 contribution towards travel expenses. She also received kind support from owners of two local businesses.
Mrs Adam said: “I have to thank both Shayne Stork, who runs a car hire business and is director of John Brown Funeral Services for taking me to the airport, and Mike Clark of AMC Taxis for bringing me back, because I really can’t manage travelling by bus and train these days.”
Gillian Aghajan, of British Veterans Fencing (BVF) said: “Connie is the pride of BVF and is an inspiration to all ages. She embodies the spirit of veterans fencing.”