For the first time in 25 years, Washington state will have a representative competing in the 2021 Fencing World Championships - and she's just 16 years old.
Ketki Ketkar of Skyline High School was selected to represent the USA in the cadet and junior competition taking place in Cairo, Egypt, beginning April 3. She is just one of three girls chosen for the women’s epee squad and trains at Kaizen Academy in Redmond. She’s instructed by Coach Yasser Eldarawani who was an Olympian in 2004.
"It's really great," said Ketki. "It's an honor to compete for the US."
Her training partner may look familiar as she is actually her twin sister, Mallika. The sisters are both nationally ranked in fencing and 2020 winners of USA Fencing Spirit of the Sport honors.
"We know each other so well that the bout goes really slowly, cause she knows what I'm gonna do, and I know what she's going to do," said Mallika. "I'm really excited for her!"
Kevin Mar of Kaizen Academy said the sisters work extremely hard and are highly competitive. The sport itself may not be mainstream, but Mar is quick to point out upwards of 12% of fencing athletes will earn college scholarships, while the odds decrease to around 2% for more popular sports like football or basketball.
“Fencing is unusual in that there’s no height or weight standards. It’s purely ability,” said Mar. "That’s a big reason why the sport is breaking gender barriers."
Ketki and Mallika are also working to open up the sport to more athletes. They have conducted free fencing camps in the past and host panel discussions with other women athletes on their Youtube channel. The series addresses issues faced by women athletes, equity and diversity.
"So, we have a panel, which is called women in fencing, so sometimes we talk about how to get more women into fencing, or diversity," explained Ketki.
The sisters said they hope to motivate other girls to take up the sport.