Hong Kong protesters could do with IOC president Thomas Bach’s fencing skills since he’s still got it at 65 years old
- The world’s most powerful man in sport gives a young boy a fencing lesson in an impromptu duel
- Bach was the 1976 Montreal Olympics gold medallist in team foil and a gold, silver and bronze medallist at the Worlds
Some top athletes still have it. Take Manny Pacquiao, Tom Brady and Tiger Woods for example. They are all going strong even though they are in their 40s and not even father time seems to be able to stop them in their pursuit to remain the best.
How about athletes who have long retired from their sport and no longer go through the rigours of training, a regimen that once made them the best in the world at one time? How about somebody like International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, the 1976 Montreal Olympics gold team foil medallist?
Apparently the world’s most powerful man in sport showed he had not lost his fencing skills and he proved it in front of a small crowd of delegates during the countdown to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in the Japanese capital this week.
Bach is 65 years old and hasn’t stood on the podium since winning a team bronze medal at the 1979 world championships for West Germany (he also won gold and silver at previous Worlds), but he proved he still had the touch when he challenged a young boy to an impromptu fencing duel using inflatable sticks (for safety reasons of course).
In a video that is going viral and has received hundreds of comments from YouTubers who were generally surprised by the IOC chief’s athletic prowess, Bach proved he still has it.
