For many athletes, competing on home soil brings pride and heightened expectations. But for an experienced Indian sabre fencer Karan Singh, competing at the Asian Fencing Championship in New Delhi came with a different kind of pressure. The nerves were high as India was hosting the continental championship for the first time.
Karan explained that while nerves are a part of sport, the atmosphere during the matches in India made the feeling different from other competitions. “Every player feels some stress before a competition, which is normal. But yesterday, the stress was a bit higher because we were playing from the host country.” Karan told Read.
“I think the more tournaments wee host, things will normalise. During the match, I kept reminding myself I am here to play and I just need to give my best,” he shared.
For Karan, the journey into fencing began back in 2010 in Behror village in Rajasthan’s Alwar district. He was introduced to the sport by an athletics coach from his village.
“I started fencing in 2010. Initially, I was doing some basic physical training at home. There was an athletics coach in my village Umrao sir who was in the Indian Army. He told me about fencing and I found it interesting,” he recalled.
‘Fencing transformed my life’
That curiosity eventually turned into a professional career, which took him from Rajasthan to France, where he has been training since 2021. “I’ve played many competitions and won many medals for India, both nationally and internationally. This journey has been life-changing for me. Fencing has totally transformed my life,” he said.
One of the defining moments of Karan’s career came when he nearly missed the qualification for the Paris Olympic. After missing out through the rankings he had one final chance through the zonal qualification tournament, where only one Olympic spot was available.
“I had been training for the Paris Olympics for three years. I couldn’t qualify through the rankings, so I had to qualify via the zonal competition. I finished second and only one spot was available,” he said.
Reflecting on that disappointment, Karan explained how the experience helped him grow and change his perspective.
“I was nervous for a while afterward, thinking about all the time put into training without qualifying. But then I started looking at things positively,” he added.
Since moving to France, Karan has trained alongside several world-class fencers, something he believes has played a major role in improving both his confidence and performances. “In France, my training partners are excellent. Almost the same partners I train with are the ones performing at the world level, so training with them makes you comfortable performing on that stage,” he said.
Karan also revealed that Hungarian fencing legend Aron Szilagyi has been one of his biggest inspirations throughout his career. “He is a three time Olympic champion and is still competing with great performances. I observe his style and try to learn things from him,” he concluded.
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