STAEHLI Laura

Personal Information

Residence Basel, SUI

Occupation Athlete

Languages English, French, German

Higher education Biology, French Literature - University of Basel: Switzerland

License number 31121991000

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Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? Her mother was involved in fencing, and would take her along to practice from a young age.

Why this sport? She was inspired by Swiss fencer Marcel Fischer, who won gold in men's individual epee at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. "Fencing has been with me for almost my entire life. I still remember when I saw on the big screen in the fencing room how Marcel Fischer became the first Swiss Olympic fencing champion. At that time, the Olympics might not have meant anything to me. But as I got older, I realised that the Olympic flame was not only lit at the opening ceremony, but also began to blaze inside of me."

Club / Team Fechtgesellschaft Basel: Switzerland

Handedness Right

General Interest

Hobbies Snowboarding, hiking. (Instagram profile, 23 Jan 2021)

Memorable sporting achievement Winning bronze in women's individual epee at the 2018 World Championships in Wuxi, People's Republic of China. (bzbasel.ch, 28 Sep 2019)

Hero / Idol Swiss fencer Marcel Fischer. (bzbasel.ch, 28 Sep 2019)

Sporting philosophy / motto "I love the sport because of the mix of different skills like speed, force, endurance, and mental strength. In addition there is the battle with the opponent. You have to be ready to adapt." (maxheinzer.ch, 28 Apr 2018)

Awards and honours In 2014 and 2018 she was named Athlete of the Year at the Basel Sports Awards in Switzerland. (bzbasel.ch, 22 Jan 2019; maxheinzer.ch, 28 Apr 2018)

Famous relatives Her sister Martina has represented Switzerland in fencing at World Cup events. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Jun 2019; bzbasel.ch, 19 Dec 2012)