Oxfordshire duo Graham Paul and Janet Cooksey won three gold medals and a bronze at the veterans’ world championships in Croatia.

Paul, 63, from Upton, near Banbury, won the over 60s foil category, while 70-year-old Cooksey, also of Upton, took over 70s foil and epee gold, plus sabre bronze.

A former senior British champion, Paul knocked out German second seed Bruno Kachur 10-3 in the last 16 and then Eiichi Ide, of Japan, 6-5 to reach the semi-finals.

Here he beat British teammate Steve Fox 10-5 before seeing off Japan’s Daizo Kawaguchi, 10-3 in the final to claim his fourth veterans’ world title.

In the inaugural over 70s event, Cooksey qualified as No 1 seed in the foil, dropping only two hits out of a possible 25.

She eased into the final where she beat she defeated Germany’s Eva Cremer-Schlede 10-7 for her fourth veterans’ world crown.

Cooskey qualified as third seed in the epee and saw off Russian Galina Pshenichkina 7-5 to win her four world title in the discipline.

Despite only recently taking up the sabre, Cooksey qualified as sixth seed and lost to eventual winner Louisa Felty (USA) by one hit as she claimed bronze.