Dougie Tobbutt continues his occasional series on sporting characters of Bolton with an in-depth look at all-rounder Jimmy Niblett THE components of fitness are strength, speed, flexibility, stamina and skill. Very few top sportsmen possess top marks in all these qualities.

Jimmy Niblett had the lot. He was the ultimate in all round fitness.

He was a promising footballer in his teens, but the war spoiled a possible career in that direction. After the war he took up wrestling and got picked for the Olympics trials, then he took up fell running and won trophies galore.

Jimmy, who will be 79 years old in April, was born in Halliwell and has lived there all his life. His father died serving in the First World War leaving his mother to bring up Jimmy and his two sisters.

He went to St Thomas's School, and left there at 14 to go down the pit. He got 16s a week (80p) for his hard endeavours.

In 1942 he joined the Marines, and serving as a commando was among the first wave of troops in the Normandy D-Day landings.

With the war at an end, Jimmy took up wrestling. A lot of training was done in the fields in those days. He was only 11 stone, but used to take on much bigger opponents than himself and held his own.

John Rigby, a lifelong member of Bolton Wrestling Club said: "Jimmy was a very tough opponent. People used to say that he was made of granite and that was just about right!"

Top Bolton wrestler Johnny Nelson took him under his wing, and then later he got invited to Wigan by Billy Riley, a well known and respected figure in the North West, who had just opened his own gym.

After making great progress in just two years, he won several North West titles, then got picked for the Olympic trials in 1948, which were being held in London. But disaster struck, when just before the event he came out in boils and sadly had to miss the occasion. Ironically he hasn't been troubled with boils before or since. Jimmy blamed the lack of hygiene of the coconut mats that they used in those days.

In 1952 he entered the Lancashire championships at middleweight, even though he was a welterweight. He made it through to the final where he was up against his mate, Jim Burke. Early in the contest Jimmy picked up a rib injury, but showed great tenacity by carrying on and in a last ditch effort produced turn to win the title.

Later that year Jimmy turned professional and toured Sweden, Finland, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

1952 was an eventful year as he got married to Ruth, and later that year disaster struck. When working in the quarry, a rock hit him from behind leaving him with a serious back injury and a broken nose. This put him out of action for six months. Jimmy's wife sadly died in the 70s, but they had a son named Mark who works in security and was the minder for Victoria and David Beckham until he resigned last year.

In 1954 Jimmy took up running. Pounding the roads did nothing for him, he loved to get on the hills. He had always done some running as part of his fitness regime, but one day he decided to run up Winter Hill. He said: "The first time I tried, I got half way before walking. At the next attempt I got three quarters of the way up, and the third attempt I managed it all the way."

After that there was no stopping him. He would run over Ben Nevis, Snowden, Kinder, then Europe followed. He went to Switzerland in a race that took 2,000 runners round a 20 mile course over three alps, the chief one being a 3,000 metre climb. But the higher the climb, the better for Jimmy.

Jimmy was now picking up trophies in France, Germany, Holland, Yugoslavia and Norway, as well as England. He got his taste for travel when as a cyclist in his teens he would regularly travel to France.

Jimmy only stopped running two years ago. "I was getting a twinge in my knee," he said, "but it doesn't affect me when I walk." So it's walking for Jimmy now. He still travels abroad regularly and thinks nothing of walking two, three or even four hours a day. His favourite trip is France, where he likes to visit the museums and cemeteries.

Grit, determination and zest are some of his qualities, and he is the perfect model for those people who want to live life to the full. Jimmy Niblett (far right) with members of Bolton Wrestling Club in 1950.