Former Vernon School District Fencing Team member Landrey Bickel is starting to make a name for herself internationally.
Now in her third year at the Royal Military Academy in Kingston, Ont., Bickel represented Canada and its military in November at the World Military Games in Wuhan, China.
“Landrey is a fierce competitor and a great teammate,” said her Vernon coach, Brendan Robertson.
In the individual competition, Bickel made the top-32 losing a close match to Sun Yiwen of China, the current Olympic bronze medalist from the 2016 Games in Rio and currently ranked sixth in the world.
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“Landrey bowed out in this round and Yiwen went on to win the competition and title of World Champion,” said Robertson. “During the team tournament, Landrey worked hard securing a 12th-place finish with her team.”
Bickel fenced in both elementary and high school with the Vernon School District fencing team with Robertson. She was a finalist and champion at various levels from local tournaments, to provincial, to national events.
“Landrey is competing at the international level, getting a taste of what 11 other local school aged athletes have experienced over the past 24 years since the start of the School District 22 Fencing Team,” said a proud Robertson. “A small team from a small town with great athletes.”
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