Few people play sport competitively in their 70s and even fewer are doing so on the world stage – but Jim Garrett has bucked that trend.

The Faversham Badminton Club player earned two golds and a silver from the Masters Senior World Badminton Championships in Jeonju-si, South Korea, last month in the over-75 category.

He won alongside Gravesend’s Mary Jenner in the mixed doubles as they beat Ian Brothers, also of Kent, and Jan Hewett 20-22, 21-14, 21-9.

While abroad, Garrett mixed competitive sport with some sight-seeing.

He explained: “It was an opportunity to go to places we have never been to before. It was very interesting.

“Jeonju-Si is where the tournament was held. Then, we went to Seoul and spent time there, looking around the temples and the sights and sounds of the city.

“Most of the group went. There were eight England players in the over-75s and we all travelled together.

“That made a nice bunch of people because we know each other pretty well - three of us are from Kent.

“The girl I played with in the mixed doubles, Mary Jenner, she also won two golds and a bronze. She plays for Kent with me.

“The other chap who we beat in the mixed doubles Final, Ian Brothers, he’s also from Kent. He won a silver.”

Garrett also clinched men’s doubles victory with partner Michael John Cox but lost out 21-18, 21-19 to Finland’s Carl-Johan Nybergh in the singles.

England won eight gold medals alongside 10 silvers and 10 bronzes in total.

Garrett enjoyed the chance to play against Asian players.

“The reason I went out, in particular, was because I wanted to play the Asian players,” he said.

“I’ve done this now for a few years but I didn’t do it over Covid so I missed out on the last two.

“Previous to that, I’d won in India and won in Canada. Since I went into the Vets, it’s been quite an interesting journey on the European and World circuit.

“I wanted to go because the Worlds have become European-ised. A lot of the Asian players aren’t really travelling too far. Why that is I don’t know.

“But that’s why I was so keen to go to Korea - because I got the impression from conversations I had with other international players that they anticipated more Asian players would play.

“I wanted to play against the Asian players. They’re such strong advocates of the game.”

A retired teacher, and a former part-time footballer who moved to Kent in the 1980s, Garrett also spoke of his passion for badminton.

He first got into the sport as a teenager.

He said: “When I was younger, I played football part-time and played for Bolton and Wigan, and in the Northern Premier.

“I played badminton at the same time but badminton was a bit more of an all-round game. If I could play badminton without any twinges, then I felt I could turn out on the Saturday for football.

“But as you get into it, it’s one of the more social sorts of games. Most of the teams are three men and three women.

“I’ve played all the racquet sports but badminton is one of the nicer ones.”

Garrett is enjoying playing at Faversham Badminton Club these days.

“They have got a junior section,” he enthused. “They are quite a thriving club in an area where it’s not been thriving for a long time.

“It’s nice to see. Because I live in and around the Ashford area, a lot of clubs have moved out or amalgamated and all play on odd nights.

“If they play on Friday nights, that’s not really any use to me because it’s one night where I’m tied up with travelling or family commitments.

“So it was sort of a marriage of all the right things when I joined.”

Garrett is showing no sign of slowing down yet, although, with no over-80s age group to move into, he’s unsure how much longer he’ll be able to keep qualifying for over-75s competitions.

He said: “I think the next Europeans next year are in Belgium and then, the year after, the Worlds are in New Zealand. I’ll certainly try and get there.

“Unfortunately, I’ll be nearly 80 and there is no over-80s as a category so I’ll have to do the over-75s. You have to qualify.

“Whether or not I’ll qualify in two years’ time as an over-75s, that’s looking doubtful.

“I don’t know but we’ll see.”