Lena Bickel (born 22 December 2004) is a Swiss artistic gymnast. She competed at the 2023 World Championships and qualified as an individual to the 2024 Olympic Games, where she represented Switzerland. She is the 2023 Swiss all-around champion.

Lena Bickel
Country represented Switzerland
Born (2004-12-22) 22 December 2004 (age 19)
Mendrisio, Switzerland
ResidenceTicino
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Years on national team2021–present (SUI)
ClubSFG Morbio Inferiore

Early life

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Bickel was born on 22 December 2004 in Mendrisio. She began gymnastics when she was four years old.[1]

Career

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Junior

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At the 2017 Swiss Junior Championships, Bickel finished 14th in the all-around. She made her international debut at the Swiss Cup Juniors, and she helped the Swiss team win the bronze medal behind Germany and Belgium.[2] Then at the 2017 Tournoi International, she finished 26th in the all-around.[3]

Bickel won the vault and uneven bars titles at the 2018 Swiss Junior Championships, and she finished fifth in the all-around.[4] Then at the Pieve di Soligo Friendly, she competed with the Swiss team that finished fifth.[5] At the 2018 European Championships, Bickel helped the Swiss team finish 14th.[6] She won the gold medal on the uneven bars at the 2018 Tournoi International and placed sixth in the all-around.[7]

Bickel won the all-around silver medal at the 2019 Swiss Junior Championships, and she won the vault title.[8] Then at the Swiss Turnfest, she finished fourth in the all-around.[9] At the Sainté Gym Cup, she competed with the Swiss team that placed fifth.[10] She then competed at the 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival. She qualified for the all-around final where she finished 20th, and she finished fifth in the uneven bars final.[11][12]

Senior

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Bickel became age-eligible for senior international competitions in 2020, but she did not compete that year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She made her senior international debut at the 2021 Swiss Cup. She competed with Noe Seifert, and they finished in fourth place.[13]

2022

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At the Swiss Championships, Bickel won the silver medal in the all-around and the gold medal on the uneven bars.[14] Then at the Austrian team challenge, she helped the Swiss team win the bronze medal.[15] In July, she tore a ligament in her right foot.[1] She returned to competition in November at the Arthur Gander Memorial and won the all-around silver medal behind Alice D’Amato.[16] She then competed at the Swiss Cup with Noe Seifert, and they finished ninth.[17]

2023

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Bickel completed at the Magglingen Friendly and won the all-around gold medal by nearly two points ahead of teammate Caterina Cereghetti.[18] She competed with the Swiss team at the European Championships, and they finished 17th.[19] She was the first reserve for the floor exercise final.[20] At the Swiss Championships, she won the all-around title by over a full point. In the event finals, she won gold on the floor exercise and silver on uneven bars and balance beam.[21] She competed with the Swiss team that finished fourth at the Heidelberg Friendly.[22] She then competed at the World Championships in Antwerp and finished 39th in the all-around during the qualification round.[23] Although she did not qualify for the all-around final, she qualified as an individual to the 2024 Olympic Games by finishing ninth out of the gymnast whose countries did not qualify a full team.[24][25]

2024

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At the 2024 Olympic Games Bickel finished thirty-ninth during qualifications and did not advance to any finals.[1]

Personal life

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Bickel speaks Italian, French, German, and English. Her hobbies include skiing and swimming.[26]

Competitive history

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Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2017 Swiss Junior Championships 14
Swiss Cup Juniors   7
Tournoi International 26
2018 Swiss Junior Championships 5     6
Pieve di Soligo Friendly 5 15
European Championships 14
Tournoi International 6  
2019 Swiss Junior Championships     4    
Swiss Turnfest 4
Sainté Gym Cup 5 13
European Youth Olympic Festival 11 20 5
Senior
2021 Swiss Cup 4
2022 Swiss Championships    
Austrian Team Challenge  
Arthur Gander Memorial  
Swiss Cup 9
2023 Magglingen Friendly  
European Championships 17 R1
Swiss Championships        
Heidelberg Friendly 4 8
World Championships 39
2024
Olympic Games 39

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Bickel Lena". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  2. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (4 November 2017). "2017 Swiss Cup Juniors Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  3. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (13 November 2017). "2017 Tournoi International Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  4. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (20 June 2018). "2018 Swiss Junior Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  5. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (17 July 2018). "2018 Pieve di Soligo Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics Women's Junior QC For AF, TF & AA Results" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  7. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (17 November 2018). "2018 Tournoi International Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  8. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (8 June 2019). "2019 Swiss Junior Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (16 June 2019). "2019 Swiss Turnfest Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  10. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (8 July 2019). "2019 Sainté Gym Cup Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  11. ^ "European Youth Olympic Festival 2019 Women Artistic Gymnastics All-Around Final" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  12. ^ "European Youth Olympic Festival 2019 Women Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus Final" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  13. ^ Browne, Ken (7 November 2021). "Angelina Melnikova and Nikita Nagornyy lead Russian Federation to Swiss Cup win in Zurich". Olympic Channel. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Lena Bickel conquista l'oro a Montreux" [Lena Bickel wins gold in Montreux]. RSI (in Italian). 26 June 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  15. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (3 July 2022). "2022 Austrian Team Challenge Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  16. ^ Crumlish, John (27 November 2022). "U.S. duo wins Swiss Cup; Italy's D'Amato and Ukraine's Kovtun take Arthur Gander Memorial". International Gymnast Magazine. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Fatta, Moldauer victorious at Swiss Cup". USA Gymnastics. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  18. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (19 March 2023). "2023 Magglingen Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  19. ^ "10th European Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships Women Artistic Gymnastics Teams" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  20. ^ "10th European Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships Women Artistic Gymnastics Qualification Results by Apparatus" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  21. ^ Castelletti, Fulvio (4 September 2023). "Lena Bickel, un titolo nazionale che lancia i Mondiali di Anversa" [Lena Bickel, a national title that launches the Antwerp World Championships]. Corriere Del Ticino (in Italian). Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  22. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (9 September 2023). "2023 Heidelberg Friendly Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Bickel hat das Olympia-Ticket in der Tasche" [Bickel has the Olympic ticket in her pocket]. SRF (in German). 2 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Rendez-vous Paris 2024: See who qualified to the women's team competition!". International Gymnastics Federation. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Gymnastique: Lena Bickel obtient un ticket olympique" [Gymnastics: Lena Bickel obtains an Olympic ticket]. RTS Sport (in French). 2 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Lena Bickel" (PDF). Swiss Gymnastics Federation (in Italian). 5 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
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