Richard Kruse in control after best ever season

By Tom Reynolds, Sportsbeat

DOUBLE OLYMPIAN Richard Kruse came of age in 2009 - but the fencing star insists he won't be pushing the panic button if next year fails to match up.

KRUSE CONTROL: Double Olympian Richard Kruse insists he will stay on top of things after a fantastic 2009 (Getty Images)

Kruse is the leading light of the GB foil fencing squad, having fought at both the Athens and Beijing Olympics and reaching the quarter-finals and last 16 respectively.

But Kruse is the first to admit the man on the piste in Beijing is barely half the fencer he is now.  The 26-year-old had gold (Copenhagen) and a silver (Paris) World Cup medals before the end of January 2009 and before the season was out had a European Championship silver medal in his cabinet.

Kruse's heroics saw him finish the season fifth in the foil world rankings but the 26-year-old has warned people not to expect another meteoric jump in 2010.

"Last season was brilliant and I finished fifth in the overall world rankings which was fantastic.  However, I know it's going to be tough to keep that up this year," said Kruse.

"But I would be happy just to be in the top 16 come the end of the year, because there were a few of the big fencers in the world who didn't really fence last year.

"I made some fantastic results but it wouldn't surprise me if I don't do as well in 2010 as I did last year. 

"It's definitely a case of not panicking because I had a great year last year.  I just want to make sure I am in the top eight or top 16 of most competitions and get the odd medal.

"It's not that I will  not be trying as hard at but just as long as I am still improving and the graph is still going up then I'll be happy.

"Usually after you make a big jump there is a bit of a plateau and as long as there is a net progress building up to London then I'll be happy.

"When I look back at Beijing I wasn't a brilliant fencer then that I am becoming now. I was also riddled with injuries in the couple of years building up to the games."