Kashvi Garg, 16, from Chandigarh, has been selected to compete for India in the Fencing Grand Prix 2022 for senior men and women epee from January 28 to 30 in Doha, Qatar. Last week, the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) Campus in Amritsar hosted the selection trials for this event.
The Fencing Association of India (FAI) had invited the finest 32 epee fencers (men and women) for selection trials based on their previous performance and ranking in national and international championships, and had ultimately chosen the top eight men and eight women fencers for team India.
Kashvi is the youngest player not just on the Indian team, but also in the whole event, which will include roughly 150 of the best fencers from across the world. Kashvi is a medical student at Carmel Convent School in Chandigarh, where she is in Class 11.
Kashvi remarked, “this is a very prestigious tournament and based on the performance in this tournament, players get the points that are taken into consideration while deciding their world ranking.” When asked if she's looking forward to the tournament, she responds, “of course, this is my first big tournament where I will get to compete with the best players of the world and it will be a huge learning experience for me,” noted the young fencer, who worked with seasoned coaches Charanjit Kaur and Mukesh Kumar to perfect her abilities.
Kashvi has won two national gold medals and has previously represented India in the 41st International Children Fencing Tournament in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2018. Apart from that, on Republic Day last year, the Chandigarh administration presented her with a commendation certificate for her achievements in the field of sports. Kashvi is also the Chandigarh Commission of Protection for Children's Rights' child rights ambassador (CCPCR)
