Invicta Fencing Club’s Jacob-Gander Compton excelled on his Great Britain debut in France last week, and his coach has tipped him to go all the way to London 2012.

Gander-Compton, 13, finished an impressive 15th out of 88 competitors at the Moneteau under-15 sabre international, and was the third-best Briton at the competition.

“It’s a magnficent achievement considering it was his first international event,” Invicta head coach Kate Morwell-Neave said. “If he continues in this vein the London Olympics is a realistic prospect.”

After the first round Gander-Compton, from Chestfield, near Whitstable, was 38th before winning two more fights to make the last 16. His progress ended after a 10-4 defeat to the No.3 seed but he had already done enough to impress.

Gander-Compton turns his attention to the National Sabre Competition, in Stoke-on-Trent, this weekend.