Chandigarh: Cook's daughter Kusum to represent India in fencing

Deepankar Sharda

Advertisement

Chandigarh, February 21

Kusum, a trainee of the Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, fencing club and student of Post-Gradate Government College, Sector 11, has been selected to represent the country in the 2022 Asian Junior Fencing Championship, to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The event is being held from February 24 to March 3. She has been selected on the basis of her performance in the Junior Nationals. Kusum, whose father is a cook and mother a housewife, started practising fencing at the age of 13.

“My elder sister used to practise fencing at the Sector 10 club. She was selected to represent the city in the national games, which were to be held in Goa. However, my parents didn’t allow her to join the team,” said Kusum.

She said, “However, things have changed now. My sister helps my father in earning the bread and butter for the family and also ensures that I get the needed attention to develop my game. She really inspires me to play at the highest level and I am looking forward to taking her dream ahead.”

“I played my first nationals in Maharashtra. It was a learning experience for me. Since then, I make sure to play all tournaments in my age group to gain experience,” she said.

“She is a bright student keen on winning medals. It’s been over 11 years now that she has been training with us,” said coach Charanjeet Kaur, who also gives credit to school Principal Jasmine Jose and Chandigarh Fencing Association office-bearers for helping Kusum. Kusum has won five gold medals, a silver and a bronze in inter-school tournaments followed by a silver in the SGFI nationals and a bronze each in the Cadet national and Junior national events. She has also won a silver and two bronze in inter-college tournaments, a bronze in Senior Nationals and two gold, three silver and two bronze in All India Universities Khelo India tournaments. “I am happy to be selected to represent the nation. My effort will be to bring home a medal and give a new direction to my career,” said Kusum.