A NEWBURY fencer is in the final stages of her preparations for the Rio Olympics.

Leonora Mackinnon, who grew up in London’s East End, will compete in the women’s individual épée for Canada.

The 22-year-old, who started fencing at the age of just eight, is now fully ensconced at a training camp in Canada, from where she will travel to Houston on July 17th for final preparations, before heading to Rio shortly afterwards.

She will walk out at the Opening Ceremony on August 5, before her event begins at the Carioca Arena the following day.

Her parents, Donald and Marie-Pauline, who still live at the family home in Newbury, will be flying out to watch their daughter’s Olympic debut.

Mrs Mackinnon said: “We are all incredibly proud of her, most of all because of all the hard work she has put in to get here.

“The resilience and dedication she has shown is amazing and we are just thrilled she has achieved her dream.”

She added that the sacrifices and tough decisions her daughter has made along the way have all been worthwhile.

It will be the first time in a decade that Mr Mackinnon has watched Leonora in a competition after she banned him from coming to support her at the age of just 12-years-old because he spent the entire time engrossed in his newspaper.

The former Bradfield College and St Gabriel’s School pupil is the only female épée fencer on the Canadian team to have qualified for this year’s Olympic Games.

Her preparations couldn’t be going better either, after she won the decisive score in the recent Pan American Championship to see Canada pick up the gold in the women’s épée team event by just one point.

Leonora, whose great-grandfather was a well-known Norwegian footballer, Minotti Bohn, represented Great Britain early in her career, including at the 2010 European Junior Championships, before making the move to Canada – her mother is Canadian – where she won the 2014 individual épée gold at the Pan American Junior Championships.

After she returns from Rio, she will carry on with her degree in Physical and Sport Education at St Mary’s University.

You can follow Leonora on Twitter to keep with her progress – @Leo_Mackinnon.