Taniksha holds the distinction of registering India’s best-ever performance in fencing at the Asian Games after reaching the quarterfinals in the women’s epee event at Hangzhou in 2023. | Photo Credit: Instagram/Tanishka Khatri

Commonwealth Junior Championships silver medallist Taniksha Khatri is confident the experience gained at the recently concluded Asian Fencing Championships here will significantly boost her confidence as she pursues qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Indian epee fencer, who narrowly missed out on a berth for the Paris Olympics last year, has now turned her attention to the World Championships and the Asian Games, two key events on her road to LA 2028.

Although she did not finish on the podium at the Asian Championships, Khatri drew encouragement from the strong performance of the Indian women’s team, which came close to securing a medal.

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“Although I did not bag a medal (at the Asian Championships), our girls’ team came very close to winning one. We missed it by a whisker. But the performance has given me confidence to fight at the top level.

“My immediate target is to do well in the upcoming Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya in September-October) and the World Championships (Hong Kong, July 22-30) and qualify for the LA Olympics. The Olympics is not very far away. Medals are not always everything. Qualifying and competing well at the top level does matter,” Taniksha, a three-time Junior National champion, told PTI on Thursday.

Taniksha holds the distinction of registering India’s best-ever performance in fencing at the Asian Games after reaching the quarterfinals in the women’s epee event at Hangzhou in 2023.

Reflecting on the Asian Championships, hosted at Bharat Mandapam, she said the tournament marked a significant milestone for fencing in India and would help increase awareness and popularity of the sport across the country.

“It was great that, for the first time, an international fencing tournament was held in India. People are now more aware of the sport. It was also a valuable experience for all the Indian fencers.

“We got a lot of motivation from competing at home and experienced for the first time what it feels like to play a major international event in our own country. It was a very positive experience.

“We noticed our weaknesses and our strengths after every bout, and that will help us work on those areas going forward,” she said.

She added that the Indian fencers were highly motivated to qualify for the Olympics.

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“I think every Indian athlete is preparing (to qualify for LA 2028). Our federation supports us a lot with competitions and training camps, which is why our performance is improving,” said Taniksha from Karnal, who started fencing at the age of 13 and has an attacking style that suits epee, prompting her shift from the foil category.

“The three events in fencing -- epee, foil and sabre -- have different target areas and techniques. I started my career with foil. My first coach switched me to epee from foil. He liked my playing style and decided that I could do better in epee. Now, I realise that his decision was very good,” she said.

She also acknowledged the role of Olympian C A Bhavani Devi in popularising the sport in India.

“We got a lot of opportunities because of Bhavani. A lot of people got to know about fencing. People are supporting us a lot.” Echoing Taniksha’s sentiment, her teammate Prachi Lohan said, “The sport has gained so much popularity. Bhavani didi’s qualification for the Olympics has really inspired the youth. She has put India on the global stage and made it clear that ‘yes, we can do it’.

“So, that is something we take inspiration from. It (Olympic qualification) will surely be possible if we continue to train hard and attend training camps.” Their teammate Yashkeerat Kaur from Chandigarh rued that the team lost an Asian Championships medal by just one point.

“Losing by one point to Chinese Taipei hurts; it’s very disheartening. But we learned so much by competing with talented players, Olympic medallists, world champions and Asian champions,” she emphasised.

Men’s foil team member Tejas Manoj Patil was happy that the men’s team earned direct qualification for the Asian Games by finishing in the top eight.

“We feel really great that we qualified for the Asian Games. We played very well in the pre-quarterfinal against Kazakhstan.”

Published on Jun 25, 2026