Laurence Halsted has established himself on the world fencing stage and is poised to help Great Britain win their first Olympic fencing medal since 1954.
Born in London in 1984, he is the son of two Olympian fencers and is currently ranked second in Great Britain. He made his way through the junior and student ranks and is now competing at the highest level cross the globe.
Laurence began fencing at the Finchley Foil club at a young age and soon found himself competing on the European stage, winning Gold at the 2001 Junior European Championships.
Further success came in the 2002 Junior European Championships where Laurence played an integral role in helping Great Britain win a Bronze medal in the team event.
Whilst studying Social Psychology at the University of Sussex, Laurence proved himself to be the best fencer in academia taking Gold at the British Universities Sports Association's annual fencing competition in 2006 and taking Bronze at the World Student Games in 2007.
After leaving university, Laurence turned professional and began training with the GB and has since established himself as a real force on the world fencing stage.
In the 2008 Senior European Championships he picked up the Silver medal and a year later in the same event, he won Bronze. Add to this a Silver team medal at the Venice Grand Prix in 2009 and it is easy to see why Laurence is touted as a major medal prospect for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.