"You can stab anyone and laugh it off," Kanupriya Chawla on enjoying Fencing

Imagine representing your country at one of the continent's most prestigious sporting events and then having to face your own teammate. For many athletes, that situation can be more stressful than facing an international opponent.

As India hosts its first-ever Asian Fencing Championships in New Delhi from June 19th to 24th, one of the country's youngest foil fencers, Kanupriya Chawla, opened up about the unique challenge of competing against fellow Indian fencers.

"Fencing with another country seems lighter than fencing with your own partner," she said.

For Kanupriya, fencing began as a childhood hobby but gradually developed into a passion and a sport she deeply enjoys. Speaking about her love for fencing, she jokingly explained what makes the sport so exciting for her.

"To be honest, I love this sport. It's like you can stab anyone and then just laugh it off," she said with a chuckle.

The ongoing Asian Fencing Championships have also given Indian fencers a rare opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd.

Kanupriya described the experience as special, particularly because her family was able to watch her compete on a major international stage.

"Playing in my home country is very fascinating. You have your home crowd cheering for you, your friends, coaches and your biggest support, your parents. They are there seeing you play on a big platform, and them being there encouraged me to fight. It was definitely better than what I fenced before," she said.

The young foil fencer also explained her preparation process before competitions and how important the pool rounds are in determining a fencer's progression.

"I check my pools a day before and I see whom I am going to fence and how I am going to fence them. Pools get a little tense because you know you need to win a certain number of matches, otherwise you are going to get eliminated," she explained.

When asked about her favourite bout of the championship, Kanupriya pointed to her match against a Japanese fencer who had previously won a medal at the Senior Asian Fencing Championships.

"My favourite match that I fenced was against Japan because the fencer I fenced was a previous Senior Asian Fencing Championships medalist. It was fascinating and mesmerizing. When I fenced her, I was so happy. It was dreamy," she added.

Reflecting on the lessons learned from the tournament, Kanupriya admitted that maintaining patience will be a key focus for her in future competitions.

"I am planning on playing with more patience because I lost my patience and calmness in the Round of 32 match. I am definitely planning to improve that," she said.