RIYADH: Nine-year-old Ghasaq Alqahtani discovered fencing by watching her older sister train at home, sparking a passion that has taken the young Saudi Arabia athlete to competitions in Europe and the Gulf.
“I started when I was 5 years old ... My mom used to train my sister and I used to watch them. I wanted to give it a try,” Alqahtani told Arab News. “My mother is a retired athlete, which pushed me and my siblings to do sports.”
She first picked up a foil, one of fencing’s three disciplines, before coaches recognized that her speed made her better suited to saber.
Unlike foil, where touches are limited to the torso, saber allows fencers to score above the waist using both the edge and the tip of the blade, making it the fastest of fencing’s three disciplines.
“When I tried (fencing), I fell in love because I like how disciplined it was … how they pushed you to train hard and how fast it was.”
Alqahtani, who is a year five student at King’s College Riyadh, recalled seeing her sister, Antonia Carolina, win national titles before going on to compete in Junior World Cup events, convinced that she wanted to follow the same path.
“The thing that inspired me was that my sister actually trained very hard,” she said. “And she actually won first place all over Saudi Arabia in 2023. And in 2024, she started to play in Junior World Cup, which got me amazed (and) I thought I could end up like her.”
That determination has already taken Alqahtani to competitions in the UK, Turkiye, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Bahrain.
Competing overseas has raised the standard she sets for herself. “The level of fencing (abroad) is very competitive. The number of athletes exceeded 100 in almost each category that I played,” she said.
“I have learnt that to be at their same competitive level I need to work much harder every day.”
She said winning at the Leon Paul Junior Series in April 2025 was particularly memorable because it marked the first time a Saudi sabreuse had claimed gold in the competition. She later added two more LPJS Series titles in London and Manchester.
Representing Saudi Arabia internationally is an experience she treasures. “Every time when I go to a competition and I see my flag with other countries’ flags, it makes me feel very happy and I feel like I am representing my country very well.”
Back home, Alqahtani has noticed more girls taking up fencing as opportunities in women’s sport continue to expand across the Kingdom, and she hopes the numbers will grow. “I would say give it a try,” she said. “You never know what will happen.”
Although she is only 9, Alqahtani already knows exactly where she wants fencing to take her: “I have two big dreams … to be the youngest Saudi fencer that wins the first place in the Olympics. And to be the youngest fencer to join Saudi team.”
“Fencing will always be in my life. I enjoy it so much that I will never stop fencing,” she added. “It has been the best experience I’ve ever had in my life.”
