Panaji: India’s 24-year-old international male sabre fencer, Karan Singh of Rajasthan, prefers to stay in the mix as far as possible.
He also has a knack for exploring new things in life and risks venturing out of his comfort zone. Perhaps that could have been one of the reasons three Autumn back he went to France to discover what the world’s best fencers do to sharpen their skills.
“It was a challenging situation as I didn’t have adequate funds for the exposure tour. No experience of staying away on foreign soil for long,” the 24-year-old fencer from Rajasthan recalls. “Heading to France for 10 long months in 2021 was the only choice I had to achieve big things in life.”
Based out of Orleans in France since October 2021, he joined the Christian Bauer Academy, which vastly improved his global ranking. From an obscure 200 global ranking in 2021, he has made a dramatic jump in the last three seasons. His current global ranking is 63 and he reached the fourth round, for the first time, at the 2022 World Championships.
“The coach (Christian Bauer) made changes in training and techniques,” he recalled. “It made a difference in my performance as I got a good opportunity to compete and practice in Europe.”
He has chalked out macro and micro plans to achieve his goal of winning a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Immediately after competing here at the 37th National Games in Goa, he will fly back to France and prepare for the November 8 to 10 Algeria World Cup, his first major competition of 2023. He is aiming for the top 16 in Algeria.
A consistent performance over the next five months at the international circuit is vital for the promising fencer to enable him to earn valuable points and improve his global rankings. A top 30 at the end of a hectic competitive season of five months that will conclude February next year will be good for me, he said.
“Being in the top 30 at the end of February 2024 will ensure I’m on the right track for winning a Paris Olympic Games berth,” Singh said.
Hailing from district Alwar in Rajasthan, Singh has made good progress at the domestic circuit. He joined the Indian Navy through sports quota in 2019. “Since fencing wasn’t a priority discipline, a fencer like me never got any attention,” he added.
For a record Indian fencing was in the spotlight when Tamil Nadu’s international fencer (sabre), Bhavani Devi qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
According to the Indian Navy fencer, adapting to the European environment in the past three seasons was one of the key features to success. He enjoys local food in Orleans and is well-versed in the English language.
“In India at the national camps, you go to a dining hall and have your meals. But in Europe, you are on your own. Make arrangements for food; accommodation and practice sessions,” he explained. “It was tough initially but now it’s home away from home at the fencing academy in Orleans.”
