A DARLINGTON-born fencer won a bronze medal in the European Veterans Fencing Championships.

Beth Davidson finished in third place when she faced tough competition in Cognac, France.

This bi-annual championship is for competitors over the age of 40, covering the disciplines of foil, epee and sabre.

Three times European Team champion, the 49-year-old was fencing in Category 2 sabre event as part of the Great Britain squad. After the first round Beth was ranked 1st, beating current World Champion, Dorethea Tanzmeister from Austria and continued strong until the semi-final.

Already guaranteed a bronze medal, Beth was up against the previous World Champion Frederika Janshen from Germany. After being ahead at the break she couldn’t maintain the winning streak and lost 10-7.

More than 1,800 competitors took part in the event, competing in temperatures of more than 30 degrees. This result guarantees qualification for the World Veteran Fencing Championships in Cairo in October.

The champion fencer, who has 25 years of experience, is the lead coach at Street Swords fencing club at the Dolphin Centre at Darlington.