Jammu, 30 August (H.S.): At the age of eight, her parents took her to Jammu's lone multipurpose Maulana Azad Stadium to motivate her to become an athlete, without having any idea that their daughter would one day make them proud by scaling heights in the field of sports.

Meet Shreya Gupta, an ace fencer, who has recently attracted the spotlight by becoming the first female fencing player from Jammu and Kashmir to make it to the Asian Games.

Notably, two fencers from Jammu and Kashmir, Vishal Thappar and Shreya Gupta, have qualified for the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to take place from September 19 to October 4, 2026, across Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya in Japan.

Born to architect Sanjay Gupta and homemaker Rashmi Mahajan, Shreya started as a Taekwondo player at a tender age but, inspired by her elder brother, who was initially a fencer, switched to fencing, and her years of consistent hard work finally paid off.

Shreya Gupta said, Consistency with a blend of hard work is the key to success.

A journey of 13 long years in fencing has enriched my experience. Despite various odds and challenges, I overcame them by devoting myself to the game with a focus on making the nation and my parents proud, said Shreya.

Desiring to step into the shoes of C A Bhavani Devi, the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics at the 2020 Olympic Games, Shreya wants to represent India at the Olympics.

Bhavani Devi is my inspiration and my dream is to reach the Olympics and win a medal for my country, said Shreya.

Going down memory lane and sharing her over-a-decade-long journey in fencing, she said, Qualifying for the Asian Games is a great feeling and all focus now is on the medal.

Shreya, who joined the High Performance programme in fencing at the Vijayi Bharat Foundation in Gujarat in 2022 to augment her skills under the guidance of world-class coaches, further shared, There are no shortcuts in life and undoubtedly hard work is the only key to accomplish dreams.

In 13 years of my journey, under professional trainers, I worked hard on techniques, mental strength, overcame injuries and maintained a balanced diet, said the ace fencer, adding, Getting selected for this platform (Asian Games) was not a cakewalk for me because one has to be in the rankings to qualify.

The thrust for the last few months was on keeping myself in the rankings, to ultimately qualify for the prestigious competition, and the dream has been fulfilled, said the fencer with a smile.

Lauding the role of the Government of India and Fencing Association of India (FAI) for giving impetus to sports in the past few years, Shreya said, Fencing is no longer an alien sport for the countrymen. The hosting of the 26th Asian Senior Fencing Championships by India in June this year changed the perspective of fencing in the country.

Moreover, she said, Change is visible in the sports sector, including fencing. Over the years, infrastructure has improved, facilities have become better, costlier equipment is available for athletes, while coaches and trainers are working hard with athletes who have professionally adopted the sport.

The fencer also hoped that the Commonwealth Games 2030, to be hosted by India in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and India's bid to host the 2036 Olympics would be a game changer for Indian sports.

She, however, stated that schemes like Khelo India, Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action (ASMITA) League, and the enhanced sports budget for 2026-27 show the government's focus on boosting sports, identifying talent and making India a sporting hub by the 2036 Olympics.

Pursuing a professional degree in psychology, Shreya wants to become a mental strength expert in the future, aiming to help athletes become mentally strong and overcome the fear, anxiety or pressure they often feel during competitions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar