Sally Bennett, who has represented Australia in the sport, visited students taking part in the early August to encourage them to do physical activity.

Ms Bennett began competing in fencing at 32, and won gold in the NSW State Championship 2012 and the NSW Allyson Schofield State Open 2013.

She said she reached success in her sport through good diet.

“Because I make sure I’m always eating what my body needs I got better a lot faster,” she said.

“The thing about chocolate, chips and cake, it’s not really food. It’s alright to have it sometimes, after you’ve had fruit and vegetables.”

When competing in other sports she used to get beaten at elite levels because she lacked determination, she said.

“I wouldn’t put the effort in, and I’d get disappointed.”

Now Ms Bennett is determined to get an Olympic gold medal.

“The more active we are, the more energy we have to do the things we enjoy,” she said.

“We can think more quickly, which means we can do our work faster, and perform better at everything.”