When she saw who she was competing against, her heart sank. How was she, a 61-year-old granny, going to be any match for a fit and ferociously competitive 40-something?

But as soon as Glenda Pieters felt the cold metal of her foil in her hand, followed by the command from the referee to stand en garde for her bout at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in London, all lingering self-doubt evaporated.

It’s days later and she’s talking to us about the amazing victory that helped her secure gold against her Australian competitor in her age category.

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