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Like a classic car that keeps purring along, Eugene Ford is showing what is possible when the chassis is maintained.

Ford won the over-45 Kumite (sparring) title at Uechi Ryu World Cup held in Clearwater Beach, Florida recently.

He also won it in 1998, but it wasn't a world championship then.

Ford won his title over eight other competitors.

Bermuda Arts and Fitness Academy owner Al Wharton said Ford's title: "says a lot about consistency and keeping yourself in shape. It also says a lot about keeping it simple in your sparring method."

Wharton said Ford is a 'great example" of what a person can do as he won the world title over much younger competitors.

"He surprised a lot of people. It's good for new students to see the kind of longevity that can be obtained through this kind of training."

Wharton took four students to Florida. The other students went mainly to attend the Koshukai seminar with master instructors from Okinawa.

Bermuda wins bid

The other big news for Bermuda was that it had been given the honour of hosting the Uechi Ryu World Cup in 2014.

The 2012 World Cup is scheduled to be held in Argentina.

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