Nick Halsted

Nick Halsted took up fencing in 1956 while attending Westminster School. An exponent of all three weapons, he became school captain. He and then went to Wadham College, Oxford to read law and was again captain of three weapons. Halsted won the 1963 national junior foil title and the British Universities’ foil title in 1963 and 1964. In the latter of those two years he took part in the World Student Games.

Halsted was part of the British epée team that won silver at the 1965 World Fencing Championships in Paris. Individually, he reached three world championhip quarter-finals. Halsted made just one Olympic appearance, at Mexico in 1968 when he took part in both épée and foil. He was also, however, captain of the 1976 foil team. As an administrator with the Amateur Fencing Association, Halsted became president in 1986. During his seven-year tenure, he played a major role in re-organising British Fencing.

A solicitor by profession, Halsted´s wife Clare was a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and two-time Olympian (1972 and 1976), while their son Laurence appeared at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and was World Student Games bronze medallist in 2007 and European silver medallist in 2008.