Wick police officer helps Scotland squad strike gold in fencing
Hannah Mackenzie was on point as she helped Scotland to victory at the Senior Five Nations fencing championships.
The Wick police officer was part of the Scotland squad that won gold at the tournament in Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
The 23-year-old, who is originally from Dingwall and a member of Dingwall Fencing Club, made her international debut for Scotland in the épée category.
The competition featured England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with Scotland coming out on top.
Mackenzie won all her bouts, as did her team-mates in the épée section.
She said she was delighted that she had marked her international debut with Scotland being crowned as champions at the tournament.
“It was the first time I have represented Scotland,” she said.
“My selection came about when they asked us to put notes of interest about being called up to the squad.
“I put myself forward and didn’t expect to hear anything else. So I was delighted when I was selected.
“It is the biggest competition of my career so far. It was a high standard – there were fencers that had represented Great Britain and we had to compete quite well.
“I was delighted with how we performed and came away with the overall title.
“There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the competition and the team was excellent at supporting each other throughout the day.”
In addition to success in épée, Scotland achieved two golds in the women’s sabre and men’s sabre categories as well as a silver and a bronze as they managed to secure the overall title.
Mackenzie has been involved in fencing for seven years and has taken part in a number of competitions during her career in Scotland.
Despite being based in Caithness, where there is no fencing club, she tries to balance her work and sporting career.
She said: “I started fencing when I was a pupil at Dingwall Academy when I was 16, and just carried on from that and have been a member of the club since.
“During my career, I have competed in the Highland Open and Scottish intermediate championship where I won bronze and I have also competed at the Scottish Open.
“I try to travel from Wick to Dingwall to train with the club when I can. Being a police officer, it can be difficult to balance that with my training.
“I do some training outwith the club to keep my fitness up, as there is no fencing club in Wick. But I try to get down when I can.”
