Breakfast Olympians: Nick Duncalf
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
I'll be honest: I didn't expect at any stage in my career to be arriving at the British Ballet Organisation in south west London for a training session.
Thankfully I don't have to pull on a tutu or points, but I am struggling to pull on some white breeches for my first ever fencing lesson with former British team captain Marc Bengry.
Marc puts me through my paces, teaches me to lunge and to parry, and by the end of the lesson, I'm worn out. The fencing outfit is tight and unforgiving, the mask is heavy and unbelievably hot (I keep calling it a sieve: they don't find it funny), and now I'm about to take on a man 14 years younger than me, and several stone lighter to boot.
That man is Tom Bennett, Olympic hopeful and five-time World Championship contender. Repeatedly calling him Tony Bennett hasn't exactly endeared me to my fellow combatant, but he must be feeling generous, as I get the first hit. I'm pretty certain I got him on the foot, but they all count.
After only a couple of minutes of me lumbering towards Tom like a six foot teddy bear holding a barbecue skewer, he decides to show his true class and repeatedly sticks his epee into my chest and arms until the buzzer sounds and it's all over.
Final score: Bennett 10, Duncalf 1.
Nick Duncalf is 5 live Breakfast's travel reporter
Related links


Comment number 1.
At 10:05 20th Jul 2011, zelda wrote:I am at a bit of a loss as to what you would like us to comment on Nick. All I can think of is that the Uniform isn't very attractive.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 10:41 20th Jul 2011, fluffyandpink wrote:So that's how his name is spelt.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 12:10 20th Jul 2011, Dom wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
At 15:54 20th Jul 2011, ryanw wrote:Please tell us how much these pointless videos cost license fee payers to produce? Looks like a job creation scheme to me.
Of course I could lodge an FoI request but surely it would be rejected on the basis that this information can be withheld because if it related to journalism.
The whole thing is a joke.
As Dom says, could you stick to the travel please.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
At 18:12 20th Jul 2011, Paul Sibert wrote:Mr Duncalf is obviously a very traditional type of reporter. The traditional BBC took minority sports which they didn't understand and took the mickey out of them. The modern BBC has started to remedy this and take these sports seriously. My licence fee pays your wages and I cannot see how this report drives forward the boundaries of journalism when it pokes fun at fencing kit.
Very disappointing!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 5)
Comment number 6.
At 20:52 20th Jul 2011, Fedster wrote:We all pay each others wages in way or another, whenever this argument is used it immediately devalues the posters argument, and to label this a piece a report is a tad ott, the blurb states this blog is for behind the scenes stuff,thus this blog post is published.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 6)
Comment number 7.
At 20:56 20th Jul 2011, ryanw wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 7)
Comment number 8.
At 06:17 21st Jul 2011, shearer96 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 8)
Comment number 9.
At 08:54 21st Jul 2011, zelda wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 9)
Comment number 10.
At 11:27 21st Jul 2011, fluffyandpink wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 10)
Comment number 11.
At 15:22 21st Jul 2011, Fedster wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 11)
Comment number 12.
At 15:24 21st Jul 2011, Fedster wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 12)
Comment number 13.
At 17:27 21st Jul 2011, zelda wrote:What the heck is going on with the moderation on this board? This beyond bizarre.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 13)
Comment number 14.
At 19:05 21st Jul 2011, fluffyandpink wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 14)
Comment number 15.
At 19:58 21st Jul 2011, fluffyandpink wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 15)
Comment number 16.
At 21:12 21st Jul 2011, arthur mee wrote:What is going on is this......the brave souls from Radio 5 who are pressganged into writing these blogs are taking the flak for the content of daytime programmes as there is nowhere else to express the frustration of lost listeners.
If moderators remove this comment then pity help us from the censors!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 16)
Comment number 17.
At 21:23 21st Jul 2011, fluffyandpink wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 17)
Comment number 18.
At 11:30 22nd Jul 2011, Dom wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 18)
Comment number 19.
At 11:52 22nd Jul 2011, fluffyandpink wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 19)