AN EXPERIENCED athlete used his tactical nous to outwit the competition and become a fencing world champion.

Brian Causton, 74, earned his spot on the top of the podium at the World Veterans Fencing Champions in Cairo, Egypt, last month.

In his final fight, the Rottingdean resident took a point off his American opponent with a deft jab of his blade before wheeling away in celebration.

With this he secured first place in the foil event, in which athletes fight with a light, flexible blade and score points by making contact with their opponents on a limited target area.

But it was only by sheer coincidence that Brian found his way into the sport.

He said: “When I was 15 I pitched up with mates at some evening classes.

“I think we wanted to have dance lessons but you could get two classes for the price of one, so we thought we would have a couple of goes at fencing.

“They all gave up after a few, but I continued.”

Brian, who is originally from Putney in London, admitted he was also swayed by the prospect of being allowed to have a go on his fencing master’s Triumph Bonneville motorbike.

Since then he has won several titles in the sport and has been with Brighton and Hove Fencing Club for the past 25 years.

But he said he had his eyes on the World Championships title, having finished as the runner-up in the competition twice before.

Brian said: “I have two silver medals so really wanted to get the gold.

“I was determined to

win.

“There were 40 fencers in my age group from around the world and you play in a round robin style.”

On his way to the title he saw off strong competition including one fencer who had won the competition twice before.

Brian went on to cement his spot at the top of the podium, saying he was filled with a mixture of “elation and relief”.